Is Amherst College a Division 1 school?

I've been looking into a bunch of different colleges lately, and athletics are a pretty important factor for me. I'm particularly interested in track & field, and one thing that keeps popping up is whether a school is Division 1, 2, or 3. So, does anyone know if Amherst College is considered a Division 1 school, especially for sports?

Also, how much does athletic division matter for things like school spirit or campus life? I play sports but I'm not planning to compete in college, just wondering what the atmosphere is like there. Anyone with experience, please share your thoughts!
4 months ago
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67 views
Lily Fang
 • 4 months ago
Advisor
Amherst College is a DIII school. Unlike DI or DII schools, Amherst doesn't offer athletic scholarships, and the atmosphere around athletics is more chill.

There is a bit of an athlete/non-athlete divide as athletes will usually sit together in a specific section in the dining hall. However, this is likely because they already know each other and spend so much time together. Even though I wasn't an athlete, I still became friends with some.

If you're not planning to compete in varsity sports, you won't feel left out at Amherst. Sports are not a huge deal on-campus but there are still some fun events like the Amherst - Williams football game that gets people riled up. You'll also find opportunities to run with other students on campus in a more casual way if you're interested. I also loved running alone on the rail trail. Let me know if you have more questions!
Lily Fang
Brooklyn/nomadic
Amherst College (math and French)
Experience
8 years