Amherst Ranked Ninth Best College Town by The Campus Advisor
Sam the Minuteman greets kids at the 2019 Annual Amherst Downtown Block Party. Photo: Art Keene.
The Campus Advisor an online college ranking web site, released its list of the “30 Best College Towns in the United States” for 2024. Amherst was ranked ninth in the list overall and first in “student friendliness.” According to the press release, the rankings were based on an extensive analysis of over 40,000 ratings and reviews gathered on thecampusadvisor.com. The ranking considers factors such as student proportion of the population, academic excellence, student friendliness, cost of living, cultural diversity, nightlife, public transportation, amenities, safety, and the opinions of current students.
This ranking is intended to serve as a compass for students seeking more than just academic excellence, but also an exceptional living experience. The press release states, “From vibrant cultural scenes to cutting-edge learning environments, these towns and cities have proven to be the epitome of a holistic student lifestyle.”
The complete published rankings can be found here
Summary of the rankings:
| 30 Best College Towns in the United States 2024 | ||
| Rank | City | Overall Score |
| 1st | Athens (Georgia) | 4.379 |
| 2nd | Ann Arbor (Michigan) | 4.376 |
| 3rd | Madison (Wisconsin) | 4.368 |
| 4th | Gainesville (Florida) | 4.297 |
| 5th | Berkeley (California) | 4.262 |
| 6th | Boulder (Colorado) | 4.217 |
| 7th | Ames (Iowa) | 4.205 |
| 8th | Ithaca (New York) | 4.195 |
| 9th | Amherst (Massachusetts) | 4.176 |
| 10th | Iowa City (Iowa) | 4.150 |
| 11th | Charlottesville (Virginia) | 4.144 |
| 12th | Blacksburg (Virginia) | 4.122 |
| 13th | Chapel Hill (North Carolina) | 4.099 |
| 14th | Bloomington (Indiana) | 4.089 |
| 15th | Columbia (Missouri) | 4.046 |
| 16th | State College (Pennsylvania) | 4.043 |
| 17th | Lawrence (Kansas) | 4.031 |
| 18th | Tucson (Arizona) | 4.028 |
| 19th | Evanston (Illinois) | 4.023 |
| 20th | West Lafayette (Indiana) | 4.021 |
| 21st | Oxford (Ohio) | 3.998 |
| 22nd | Boise (Idaho) | 3.997 |
| 23rd | Raleigh (North Carolina) | 3.968 |
| 24th | Durham (New Hampshire) | 3.937 |
| 25th | San Luis Obispo (California) | 3.898 |
| 26th | Knoxville (Tennessee) | 3.863 |
| 27th | Fayetteville (Arkansas) | 3.845 |
| 28th | Flagstaff (Arizona) | 3.834 |
| 29th | Bellingham (Washington) | 3.824 |
| 30th | Lubbock (Texas) | 3.811 |
| Top 5 College Towns in the United States for each of the Categories | |||||
| Category | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | 4th Place | 5th Place |
| Academic Excellence | Ann Arbor (Michigan) | Berkeley (California) | Evanston (Illinois) | Ithaca (New York) | Chapel Hill (North Carolina) |
| Student Friendliness | Amherst (Massachusetts) | Ann Arbor (Michigan) | Athens (Georgia) | Madison (Wisconsin) | Boulder (Colorado) |
| Cost of Living | Lubbock (Texas) | Ames (Iowa) | Boise (Idaho) | Fayetteville (Arkansas) | Blacksburg (Virginia) |
| Cultural Diversity | Berkeley (California) | Ann Arbor (Michigan) | Madison (Wisconsin) | Gainesville (Florida) | Athens (Georgia) |
| Nightlife | Athens (Georgia) | Madison (Wisconsin) | Ann Arbor (Michigan) | Gainesville (Florida) | Boulder (Colorado) |
| Amenities | Madison (Wisconsin) | Athens (Georgia) | Ann Arbor (Michigan) | Berkeley (California) | Boulder (Colorado) |
| Public Transport | Ithaca (New York) | Gainesville (Florida) | Boulder (Colorado) | Berkeley (California) | Athens (Georgia) |
| Safety | Durham (New Hampshire) | Amherst (Massachusetts) | Blacksburg (Virginia) | West Lafayette (Indiana) | Ames (Iowa) |
The Campus Advisor describes its mission as making researching and applying to colleges easy, transparent, and free, for future higher education students, through access to its unique, in-depth user generated content. Unlike traditional review websites, The Campus Advisor is specifically tailored to gather precise information that will help connect students to their ideal college based on their personality, qualifications, aspirations, budget, and more. For complete information, visit: https://www.thecampusadvisor.com/