![United States study-abroad news hero: Statue of Liberty / US Capitol with national flag or map symbolism — The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant[a] research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United Stat](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent1.nexstudy.in%2Fnews-heroes%2F2026-07-23%2F8cc01b12d8887f19f000ee0b-a7d60b.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant[a] research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the Massachusetts Agricultural College. It is also a member of the Five College Consortium, along with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley.[13]
With roughly 24,000 enrolled undergraduates, UMass Amherst has the largest undergraduate student population in Massachusetts.[14] The university offers academic degrees in 109 undergraduate, 77 master's, and 48 doctoral programs in nine schools and colleges.[15] It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[16] According to the National Science Foundation, the university spent $211 million on research and development in 2018.[17][15]
The university's 21 varsity athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I and are collectively known as the Minutemen and Minutewomen. The university is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference while playing ice hockey in Hockey East and football as an FBS independent school. In 2025, UMass joined the Mid American Conference as a full member.[18]
The university was founded in 1863 under the provisions of the Federal Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act to provide instruction to Massachusetts citizens in "agricultural, mechanical, and military arts."[19] Accordingly, the university was initially named the Massachusetts Agricultural College.[19] In 1867, the college had yet to admit any students and had not completed any buildings but had been through two presidents. That same year, William S. Clark was appointed president of the college and professor of botany.[20] He appointed a faculty, coordinated the completion of construction, and, in the fall of 1867, welcomed the first class of approximately 50 students. Clark became the first president to serve long-term after the school's opening.[21] Of the school's founding figures, there are a traditional "founding four" – Clark, Levi Stockbridge, Charles Goessmann, and Henry Hill Goodell.[22][23].mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner{display:flex;flex-direction:column}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{display:flex;flex-direction:row;clear:left;flex-wrap:wrap;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{margin:1px;float:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .theader{clear:both;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;align-self:center;background-color:transparen
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst
- https://www.umass.edu/
