Best Financial Planning Schools Near Amherst, MA (2026)

Amherst, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering financial planning programs, with tuition ranging from $5,550 to $69,964 per year for indexed programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning financial planning-related role is Personal Financial Advisors at a median $145,190 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Financial Planning Schools to Amherst

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer financial planning programs near Amherst, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Amherst city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Amherst. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

College of Our Lady of the Elms

Chicopee, MA 16.1 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,540
Avg net price $17,545/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Regis College

Weston, MA 61.1 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
58.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,873
Avg net price $27,477/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Merrimack College

North Andover, MA 73.5 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,584
Avg net price $37,927/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 86

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Suffolk University

Boston, MA 73.8 miles from Amherst
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,506
Avg net price $29,618/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts financial planning page.


Financial Planning Wages Near Amherst

Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Personal Financial Advisors $145,190 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $144,900
Financial Managers $144,950 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $144,661
Financial and Investment Analysts $95,820 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $95,629
Accountants and Auditors $84,390 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $84,222
Financial Examiners $111,110 MA statewide $110,888
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents $59,030 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $58,912
Loan Officers $96,540 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA $96,347
Credit Counselors $63,240 MA statewide $63,114

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Amherst at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 100.2 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Amherst-Area Cities With Financial Planning Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited financial planning schools are near Amherst, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering financial planning programs near Amherst. The closest is College of Our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee, MA (16.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Community College of Rhode Island (69.3 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying financial planning roles near Amherst?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying financial planning-related roles near Amherst are: Personal Financial Advisors ($145,190), Financial Managers ($144,950), Financial Examiners ($111,110). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?

Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst and has its own set of local financial planning programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Financial Planning Programs

Other Programs Available in Amherst

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Amherst:

Data verified: September 7, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.