Transfer Students - COVID-19 Considerations
Thinking about where to spend the rest of your college years brings with it an exciting sense of anticipation for the opportunities ahead. Some of you may already be immersed in the college search process; others may be starting now. We're delighted that you are interested in exploring the opportunities available at Amherst College!
Your first step should be to review our Applying as a Transfer Student information to learn about our transfer application and admission processes. We realize, however, that impacts of the pandemic on higher education experiences have been anything but "standard." We hope this additional information will add some clarity for you as you continue to explore all that Amherst College has to offer.
Additional Flexibility in the Evaluation of Transfer Credit Due to the disruptions related to COVID-19, Amherst has adopted more flexible guidelines regarding transferable credit. Specifically, coursework beginning in the spring 2020 term and taken through the spring 2022 term that would typically be scheduled for in-person instruction, but was moved to online instruction as a result of the pandemic, will be considered for transfer of credit. All other criteria for transferability of credit must be met and will be determined at the discretion of the Registrar at the point of admission. Exceptions to the transferability of online courses after spring 2022 may be made by the Registrar’s Office staff on a case-by-case basis.
College coursework completed in the spring 2020 term by transfer students with grades of "Pass/P" will automatically be considered for transfer of credit. "Pass/P" coursework from terms other than spring 2020 must have written confirmation from the transcript-issuing institution of the "Pass/P" being a grade of "C or above" to be considered for transfer of credit. All other criteria for transferability of credit must be met and will be determined at the discretion of the Registrar at the point of admission.​
Submission of SAT / ACT Consistent with longstanding policy, Amherst will not require the submission of the SAT or ACT for any transfer applicant. At their own discretion, applicants may still submit SAT or ACT scores for consideration, but SAT Subject Tests will not be considered as part of the evaluation of any applicant's academic record.
Expanded TOEFL & IELTS Options In addition to TOEFL and IELTS tests, Amherst will also accept the TOEFL iBT Home Edition, the TOEFL ITP for China, and the IELTS Indicator during the 2023-24 admission cycle for any international applicants who are required to submit English language proficiency testing results. These additional tests will be weighed equally with the regular, in-person TOEFL and IELTS tests.
Sustained Commitment to Financial Aid Amherst's commitment to expanding access to higher education remains unabated. We will steadfastly continue to follow a policy of need-blind admission for all applicants, domestic and international, and to provide aid awards that meet 100% of the calculated financial need of all admitted students with no required student loans.
Expanded Application Fee Waivers We don't want application fees to be a financial barrier to applicants. Complete our short-and-simple Quick Pass form to see if you qualify for an Amherst fee waiver. (Of course, we also accept the general fee waivers issued by the Common Transfer Application and Apply Coalition, Powered by Scoir, but our Quick Pass has even broader criteria for fee waiver eligibility.)
Campus Visits We're delighted to welcome visitors to our beautiful campus! The current schedule and registration for in-person campus visits is available at Visiting Amherst, along with a link to the campus tour video. We'd love to have you join us!
On that same page, you'll find our Admission Conversations video featuring five summer admission interns sharing their Amherst experience. There's also more about student life at Amherst to be discovered by reading our student blogs and the bios of our tour guides and diversity outreach interns.
Getting in Touch We are responding to emails and phone messages regularly, so please don't hesitate to contact us at admission@amherst.edu or (413) 542-2328. We want to stay in touch!