More selective than 66% of Massachusetts colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $80,399. College Scorecard.
Higher than 71% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 87% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 51% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 75% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Emerson College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 11,092 applicants, Emerson College admitted 5,267 and 997 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1270–1420 on the SAT or 29–32 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Emerson College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Emerson College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Emerson College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Massachusetts. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $32,650 | $133,539 | 5.8 years |
| $30–48k | $32,621 | $133,420 | 5.8 years |
| $48–75k | $41,927 | $171,481 | 7.5 years |
| $75–110k | $46,252 | $189,171 | 8.2 years |
| $110k+ | $57,288 | $234,308 | 10.2 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (73% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($62,832) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $22,952 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Emerson College majors, earnings & careers
Emerson College offers 14 bachelor's majors across 6 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Communications & Media · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Business & Finance · 2
- Humanities & Languages · 2
- Education · 1
- Health & Medicine · 1
Highest-earning majors at Emerson College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | $76,623 | $24,250 |
| Journalism | $63,337 | $24,580 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $61,496 | $26,425 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $59,301 | $24,625 |
| Communications | $59,202 | $23,953 |
| Writing | $51,742 | $24,250 |
| Film and Photography | $49,951 | $24,250 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $49,381 | $25,987 |
Quick list of all 14 majors
- Broadcasting / Digital Media—
- Business—
- Communications$59,202
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Film and Photography$49,951
- Graphic Communications—
- Journalism$63,337
- Marketing$76,623
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$49,381
- Music—
- Public Relations and Advertising$59,301
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$61,496
- Theatre$44,760
- Writing$51,742
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Marketing → Marketing specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.0% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Journalism → Reporter / journalist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 5.9% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Boston
Overall prices in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $3,008. Housing costs 48% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 44 inches of rain a year, 49 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); coastal flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Suffolk County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Suffolk County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Emerson College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Massachusetts by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson College | 51% | $49,180 | 77% | $62,832 | This school |
| Bentley University | 45% | $37,930 | 87% | $120,959 | |
| Brandeis University | 41% | $35,736 | 86% | $77,231 | |
| Clark University | 40% | $28,714 | 77% | $62,381 | |
| Merrimack College | 70% | $37,927 | 70% | $75,584 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Emerson College would cost you $11,250 more per year than Bentley University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Emerson College, mostly from a higher estimate for personal & travel costs (+$2,400).
- Bentley University gives aided families $10,399 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Massachusetts resident | Emerson College | Bentley University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $57,056 | $61,000 | −$3,944 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,300 | −$100 |
| Housing & meals | $20,310 | $19,200 | +$1,110 |
| Personal & travel | $3,710 | $1,310 | +$2,400 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,877 | −$3,262 | +$1,385 |
| Sticker price | $80,399 | $79,548 | +$851 |
| Average grants | −$31,219 | −$41,618 | +$10,399 |
| You pay | $49,180 | $37,930 | +$11,250 |
“+” means Emerson College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Emerson College
What is the Emerson College acceptance rate?
Emerson College accepts 51% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 5,267 of 11,092 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1270–1420 on the SAT or 29–32 on the ACT.
How much does Emerson College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $80,399 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $49,180 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $32,650 and families earning $110k+ pay $57,288.
How much do Emerson College graduates earn?
Former Emerson College students earn a median $62,832 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Emerson College graduation rate?
77% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 87% return for their second year.
How long does a Emerson College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Emerson College costs about $171,481 after grants ($41,927 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $62,832 ten years after starting, $22,952 more than high school graduates in Massachusetts ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in 7.5 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Emerson College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/emerson-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).