University of Massachusetts - Amherst vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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UMass Amherst is a large public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, in the Pioneer Valley. UMass Amherst has 23,936 undergraduate students. The admission process is moderately selective, with an acceptance rate of about 58% of those who applied. Popular fields of study include Computer Science, Business, Psychology, Biology, and Engineering. The six-year graduation rate (including transfers out from UMass) is 83.4%C. UMass Amherst graduates can expect to earn an average of about INR 50,00,000 after graduation, which corresponds to median earnings of $60,347 six years after the end of their degree.

MIT is a renowned private college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the Boston area. It has a midsize student body with 4,576 undergrads. Admission is extremely competitive with a selectivity of approximately 1.9%. Its popular majors are Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, and Economics. Its grad rate for students completing their education with it in six years is 94.0%. Its median grad salary is approximately INR 92,30,000, derived from $111,000 median salary ten years after college.

Overview Comparison
University of MassachusettsMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Collegedunia Score4.5 Out of 109 Out of 10
ranking (overall)# 247 QS World University 2026
# 84 Times Higher Education 2025
# 179 Center for World University Rankings 2025
# 1 QS World University 2026
# 1 QS World University 2025
# 2 Center for World University Rankings 2025
Subject Strength# 55 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2025
# 44 for Medicine by US News 2024
# 351 for Law by QS World University 2025
# 1 for Engineering by US News 2025
# 1 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025
# 11 for Medicine by QS World University 2025
ProgramsUG Programs -85
PG Programs -71
Doctorate Programs -2
UG Programs -47
PG Programs -38
Doctorate Programs -29
Acceptance Rate57.7 %1.9 %
Exam ScoreDuolingo-115
GMAT-570
GRE-291
IELTS-6.5
SAT-1180
TOEFL-80
GRE-310
IELTS-7
PTE-65
SAT-1510
TOEFL-100
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees   36136
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  34352
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 17784 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   30996
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  30995
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 32280 Per Year
placement (average package)

Has an annual ROI of 8.3% with an average annual salary of 72,000 USD. Top recruiters are Raytheon Co, MassMutual Financial Group, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, IBM Corp.


Average Salaries Of Degree:

  • Executive MBA : $192,000 
  • Masters in Management : $178,000 
  • MBA : $175,000 
  • Doctorate : $170,000 
  • PhD : $169,000 
  • Masters in Science : $140,000 

application requirements

Average % required for UG admission: 90%; 3 letters of recommendation, audition and potfolio (depends upon program)

Letter of recommendations (two, preferrably from teachers of subjects maths and science or humanities)
Student profile
Creative portfolio
Interview
 

Campuses and B-SchoolsNAMIT Sloan School of Management
CollegeDunia Reviews7.8/10 Read 10 reviews-

Top Courses Comparison

Top Courses Comparison

ranking# 52 for Business by Times Higher Education 2025
# 76 for Business by US News 2025
# 251 for Business by QS World University 2025
# 1 for Business by Times Higher Education 2025
# 2 for Business by QS World University 2025
application-#4208 Applicants
# 433 Admissions
# 11 % Acceptance Rate
exam scoresDuolingo - 105/160IELTS - 6.5/9PTE - 53/90TOEFL - 80/120GMAT - 720/800GRE - 311/340IELTS - 7/9TOEFL - 90/120
cost to studyTotal Cost (Tuition + Living) -Total Cost (Tuition + Living) -120461
documents required#Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose#Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose
application datesNov 1, 2025 (Early Action Application Deadline For Fall Intake)
Dec 1, 2025 (Round 1 Application Deadline For Fall Intake)
Feb 1, 2026 (Final Application Deadline For Fall Intake)
Sep 29, 2025 (Round 1 Application Deadline for 2026 Intake)
Jan 13, 2026 (Round 2 Application Deadline for 2026 Intake)
Apr 6, 2026 (Round 3 Application Deadline for 2026 Intake)
General Facts Comparison
General FactsUniversity of MassachusettsMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Type of UniversityUniversity
University
Established1863
1861
Student:Faculty Ratio18:1
3:1
Male:Female46% Male, 54% Female55% Male, 45% Female
Location Facts

Main campus is in Amherst; Some parts are in the neighboring town of Hadley; Extends up to 1.6 km in all directions from Campus Center


Lying between central and kendall squares across Charles River from Boston’s Back bay. Small instituition with close knit student body postioned to collaborate and contribute to neighbors


Library

Two libraries: W.E.B. Du Bois Library and Science & Engineering Library; W.E.B Du Bois is the world’s second-tallest library


More than 5 million items, with over 21,000 MIT theses
478 online database
17,000 journals
55,000 electronic journals


Campus Life

Student Affairs and Campus Life helps in transitioning and connecting students to campus, fostering a positive campus climate, cultivating inclusion and diversity, supporting wellness, health and safety.


Over 450 co-curricular organizations, Society for Women Engineers, LGTQ+ community, Black stuents union, 33 varsity sports, The Tech (student newspaper), The Byte (graduate student publication), religious organizations, around 43 sororities, fraternities and independent living groups.


Hostel#Housing - $9462
#Rooms - $12000
#Rooms - $13060
Famous Alumni

Russell Hulse (Nobel Prize in Physics); Catherine Coleman (NASA astronaut); Col Jason Fettig (28th Director of United States Marine Band); Jack Welch (former Chairman and CEO of GE); Kang Kyung-wha (former UN Under-Secretary-General)


85 Nobel laureates, 58 National Medal of Science Winners, 29 National Medal of Technology and Innovation Winners
Kofi Annan (Former secretary general of UN), Buzz Aldrin (former Apolo 11 astronaut & fighter pilot), Benjamin Netanyahu (Iraesli Prime Minister), Amar Gopal Bose (Owner of Bose), etc


City Life

Amherst: a town in Hampshire County; Major industries are aerospace, manufacturing, agriculture and food companies; Unemployment rate in May 2020 was 10.8%; Popular tourist attractions are Amherst College Musuem of Natural History; Puffer’s Pond, Yiddish Book Center, Mount Holyoke Range State Park, Mead Art Museum, Amherst Farmer’s Market


Cambridge- city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts; City is part of the Boston metropolitan area; home to a huge student community; Average salaries offered within the state are up to 97,5000 USD; Famous tourist attractions: Charles River, Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery, MIT Museum, CambrdgeSide, John Harvard Statue, Sanders Theatre; Unemployment rate- 2.1% (Dec 2019)


Weather
Comparison Notes

University of Massachusetts Amherst vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Subject Strength & Global Rankings (2025/2026)

The University of Massachusetts Amherst generally ranks in the 200–300 range globally. With the QS World University Rankings 2026 released, UMass Amherst is ranked about 247th in the world and improved from 275th in 2025. UMass Amherst is ranked about 175th in the U.S. News Best Global Universities ranking and about 84th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025. The ranking of MIT is number one in the world by QS 2026 (it is the only ranking where MIT has not been harmed, reinforcing many decades of having been first). In regard to subject areas, UMass Amherst has reasonable rankings in engineering, medicine, and sciences (i.e., QS has engineering at approximately 207–231, medicine has a ranking of around 44 by US News, etc.). In contrast, MIT is dominant across core STEM areas – engineering, data science, medicine – and ranks first or near the top everywhere.

General Information

UMass Amherst posts as a large public land-grant research university established in 1863 with over 200 degree programs and over 28,000 to 32,000 students. MIT, by contrast, is a critically renowned private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a student population considerably smaller than 12,000.

Acceptance Rate & Admissions

The admission process at UMass Amherst is moderately selective, with acceptance rates generally around 58–65%. MIT, on the other hand, is hyper-competitive, ordinarily accepting rates of about 4–5%.

Research Impact & Facilities

UMass Amherst is classified as a top-tier (R1) research university with strong activity across many fields, including significant contributions in sustainability rankings—its QS Sustainability ranking places it among the top 20 in the U.S. and top 10% globally. MIT, meanwhile, is globally renowned for its research prowess—securely placed in the Association of American Universities with intense R&D; for example, its research expenditure totalled nearly $1 billion in 2017 and includes world-class facilities such as the Koch Institute for Cancer Research and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

Cost & Financial Aid

UMass Amherst offers significantly lower tuition for in-state students (approximately $17,700) and around $40,000 for out-of-state or international students. MIT’s tuition is substantially higher, at around $57,000–$62,000, though it provides robust financial aid, particularly need-based support.

Career Outcomes & Alumni Success

Graduates from UMass Amherst achieve solid career outcomes, particularly in engineering, business, and healthcare, with median earnings of around $55,200 after ten years. MIT graduates, however, have exceptional career outcomes; median earnings after ten years exceed $140,000. MIT’s global reputation and alumni network also provide a wide-ranging influence in academia, industry, and innovation.