UMass Amherst welcomes most diverse class ever from record applicant pool
The University of Massachusetts Amherst admitted its most diverse class ever from its largest application pool to date, according to a Wednesday announcement.
"It's clear UMass Amherst continues to be a magnet for the talent that will fuel the innovation economy across Massachusetts and beyond, especially during this critical time in higher education," Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, provost and senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, said in a statement. "This group of highly capable students will have a rich educational experience as they meet peers from across the commonwealth, country and the world from all walks of life."
The announcement comes after record numbers of diversity last year .
The institution received 53,040 applications for the fall, with around 5,300 first-year students coming to the campus this week. The total undergraduate enrollment is just under 23,000, 71% of whom are from Massachusetts.
Forty-two percent of the incoming class identify as African, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Native American students, up from 39% last year. Nineteen percent are from underrepresented minority groups, according to the university.
The students — from the ages of 16 to 26 — come from 43 U.S. states and roughly two dozen countries. Sixty-six percent of incoming students — about 3,500 — are from Massachusetts.
Sixty-two percent of prospective students applied through early action, a program where students can apply early for admission and know their decision by mid-December.
The incoming class is among the academically strongest of the past decade, tying with last year's class for second-highest average high school GPA of 4.06.
Biology is the most popular declared major, with over 400 students choosing it.
More than 1,000 transfer students are also joining UMass Amherst, with nearly 300 coming from a community college through MassTransfer . The transfers have the second-highest transfer GPA score, a 3.46, in the university's history.
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