Emerson College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Boston, Massachusetts. It enrolls 3,870 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorNew England Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
61/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes85
Value3
Affordability5
Selectivity85
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Emerson College admits 51.3% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
51.3%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1270 – 1420
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
29 – 32
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Emerson College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
14.1 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $49,180 a year on average, it sits above what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That is a serious number, so the earnings further down matter more here than usual. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$57,056
Room & Board (on-campus)
$20,920
Room & Board (off-campus)
$17,866
Books & Supplies
$1,250
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,443
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,443
Total Cost of Attendance
$80,399
Application fee: $65 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$32,650
$30,001 – $48,000
$32,621
$48,001 – $75,000
$41,927
$75,001 – $110,000
$46,252
Over $110,000
$57,288
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,50010%percentile
$12,00025%percentile
$23,000Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$29,12590%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $20,500
↓ $2,500
No Pell $17,188
↓ $5,812
Dependent students $19,354
↓ $3,646
Independent students $12,500
↓ $10,500
Female students $18,790
↓ $4,210
Male students $19,000
↓ $4,000
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,500, less than completers ($23,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
81% of students who start here finish within six years, and 88% come back after first year. Most people who start here leave with the degree they came for. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
81%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
88%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Strong completion signals. Most students who start, finish.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $62,832 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$62,832
Earning > $25K
79%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$49,400
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$53,700
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$53,500
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$53,400
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$49,900
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
11.9 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 90% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 3,870 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
3,870
Part-Time
1%
First-Generation
13%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 54.8%2,121
International 15.0%582
Hispanic 11.5%445
Black 6.1%234
Asian 5.7%222
Other 5.1%197
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Emerson College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Emerson College offers
a varied set of programs:
23 distinct programs across
7 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 14 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
14:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$551M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$95,897
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
234 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
41
18%
$125,665
Associate Professors
74
32%
$97,041
Assistant Professors
62
26%
$80,020
Lecturers
57
24%
$90,271
Pros & Cons of Emerson College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Emerson College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Very high published cost of attendance (full-pay families pay much more than the net-price average)
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Frequently Asked Questions about Emerson College
The questions families ask most about Emerson College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Emerson College hard to get into?
Admissions at Emerson College are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 51.3%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Emerson College?
51.3% of applicants are admitted. Around half get in, so a solid application has a real chance. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Emerson College?
Aim for 1420 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1270 and 1420 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Emerson College?
Aim for 32 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 29 and 32 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Emerson College cost?
Budget around $49,180 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Emerson College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $62,832 a year against a net price of $49,180, about 1.3 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Emerson College known for?
Mostly Communication Disorders Sciences and, Film & Video Production, Drama & Theatre. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Emerson College graduates earn?
About $62,832 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Emerson College accredited?
Yes. Emerson College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Emerson College?
3,870 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Emerson College?
81% finish within six years. Most people who start here graduate, which is the signal you want. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Emerson College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Emerson College located?
Emerson College is located in Boston, Massachusetts.
What programs does Emerson College offer?
23 different programs, most commonly Communication Disorders Sciences and, Film & Video Production, Drama & Theatre. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Emerson College?
14 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Massachusetts
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Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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