Emerson College
A good fit for students who prefer a mid-size campus. no major red flags in the data. strong 77% graduation rate.
About This School
Emerson College is a private nonprofit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts with approximately 3,870 undergraduate students enrolled. Emerson College has an open or accessible admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 51%. The average net price after financial aid is $49,180 per year. The graduation rate is 77%, and the typical graduate earns $51,200 within 10 years of enrollment.
Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a school of oratory. The school offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as professional training, primarily focused on the arts and communication, grounded in a liberal arts framework. Emerson is a founding member of the ProArts Consortium, a collaborative association of six neighboring Boston-based institutions dedicated to collegiate-level arts education.
Worth considering if you're serious about communications, film, or the performing arts — this is one of the few colleges built entirely around those fields, and its Boston location opens real doors in media and entertainment. The 88% freshman retention rate suggests students are genuinely happy once they arrive, and median debt at graduation is a manageable $19,000. The honest concern is the $46,766 annual net price, which is steep when median earnings 10 years out land at $51,200 — so go in with a clear career plan, not just a passion.
Popular Programs
Percentage of degrees awarded. Source: College Scorecard.
Notable Alumni
Source: Wikidata. Used for context only.
Admissions
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Cost & Financial Aid
Net Price by Family Income
Average annual cost after grants/scholarships, by household income. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Financial Aid
Full Cost
After Graduation
Earnings 6 Years After Enrollment, by Gender
Gap: -8% less for female graduates. National avg ~16%.
What Each Major Actually Earns
Median earnings four years after graduation, by major, next to the national median for that same major at every college. The school-wide average hides this: at most schools the spread between the best- and worst-paying majors is far wider than the gap between schools.
Emerson College graduates earn most above the national rate in Marketing ($76,623 vs $69,303 nationally), and most below it in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other ($49,381 vs $55,693).
| Major | Grads | Here | National | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 298 | $49,951 | $43,765 | +$6,186 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 102 | $44,760 | $39,775 | +$4,985 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 92 | $51,742 | $48,471 | +$3,271 |
| Journalism | 68 | $63,337 | $56,278 | +$7,059 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 44 | $59,301 | $63,560 | −$4,259 |
| Marketing | 41 | $76,623 | $69,303 | +$7,320 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 24 | $59,202 | $56,359 | +$2,843 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 19 | $49,381 | $55,693 | −$6,312 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 9 | $61,496 | $58,928 | +$2,568 |
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data. Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled four years after completing a bachelor's degreehere. Majors with too few graduates to report are omitted for privacy, so this is not the school's full program list.
Will This School Pay Off?
Solid return. Earnings outpace debt, though major choice matters.
Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are means across all graduates, not specific to any major.
Student Body
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (3,870 undergraduates).
Contact & Location
Official Links
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See How Colleges Compare
Emerson College is one of thousands of colleges in our data studies, each built from the same U.S. Department of Education data shown on this page. Compare schools head to head:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Emerson College?
Emerson College has an acceptance rate of 51%, based on the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Is Emerson College hard to get into?
Emerson College is moderately selective, with an acceptance rate of 51%. Solid grades and a complete application give most applicants a real shot.
How much does Emerson College cost?
The average net price at Emerson College is about $49,180 per year after grants and scholarships, based on federal data. Your actual cost depends on your family's finances and aid package.
What is the graduation rate at Emerson College?
Emerson College has a graduation rate of 77%, according to U.S. Department of Education data.
Sources & Methodology
Primary data source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Accessed via automated sync. Latest values may come from different reporting years depending on the metric.
School overview from Wikipedia. Used for context only, not as a primary data source for admissions, cost, or outcomes claims.
- Earnings figures are institution-level averages, not major-specific.
- Some metrics are based on Title IV financial aid recipients only.
- Some values may be privacy-suppressed or rolled up by the Department of Education.
- Contact the school directly for current admissions requirements and costs.
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