Payback
EarningsPlus
Economic score
Emerson College is a private regional university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Emerson College is selective in their admissions.
Return on educational investment at Emerson College is in the bottom 25% of all ranked schools. The median student earns $56,676 10 years after enrolling, 32nd in Massachusetts, and in the top 25% nationally. When adjusted for earning differences by major, Emerson College bachelor students earn 11% more than the national average. Emerson College is ranked 49th in Massachusetts.
Emerson College’s median net annual cost of $45,171 and average years to graduate of 4.1 are reported only at the school level. We assume these same costs and graduation time for all programs.
The top 6 programs at Emerson College sorted by number of graduates - FIlm, Video & Photography, Rhetoric & Composition, Drama, Journalism, Marketing, Advertising & PR - are shown below. To see more programs, click on "see additional programs".
Annual net cost
$45,171
Average years to graduate
4.1
Education (subject specific)
Rank: #276
Economic score: 10.99
Comms & Media Studies
Rank: #418
Economic score: 11.2
Broadcast & Digital Comms
Rank: -
When a school's graduation rate falls in the bottom 25% in the country, we do not display an economic ranking.
Economic score: 11.6
EarningPlus compares the three-year post graduate earnings to the median earnings of the same graduating class, with the same graduate degree. These 2 metrics, debt-to-earnings and EarningsPlus, are combined into an economic score. The lower the economic score the better.
The most popular 6 graduate programs at Emerson College - Communication disorder sciences, Rhetoric & Composition, Education (subject specific), Publishing., Marketing, Comms & Media Studies - are shown below. To see more programs, click on "see additional programs".
Journalism
Rank: #21
Economic score: 1.7
The average full-time graduate completes their degree in 4.1 years. 83% of all students graduate within 8 years including part-time students. The graduation rate at Emerson College is 10% higher than the state average, and 25% above the average for all regional universities in the country.
At Emerson College, Pell Grant recipients represent 16% of the measured graduating class, 19% lower than the national average of 35%. The average Pell Grant recipient at Emerson College graduates within 4.1 years.
Emerson College is in the bottom 25% of schools for graduating Pell recipients.
We calculate this performance by adjusting the graduation rate of Pell students by their percentage of the student body. This adjustment is made to prevent schools with large numbers of Pell students from underperforming in comparison to schools with few Pell students but high graduation rates.
Emerson College’s economic mobility score of 2.89 is calculated by adjusting the 7.72 economic score of lower-income students by the 16% pell grant recipients within the student body. Emerson College’s EMS of 2.89 ranks in the bottom 5% nationally.false
Economic Mobility
To calculate economic mobility of low-income (household earnings below $30,000) students, we adjust each institution’s economic score by their percentage of Pell Grant students. The logic of this Pell-adjusted calculation is derived from Third Way’s Economic Mobility Index (EMI).
Bottom 5%
The average Title IV recipient at Emerson College pays $45,171 a year, $29,355 less than the $74,526 advertised. See below the cost breakdown for students who receive Title IV grants, broken down by income level.
Average net price
The average net price shown by income level for all students that receive Title IV aid. Calculated by deducting the average grant and scholarship aid from tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Limited to first-time, full-time students. Public institution figures are calculated using in-state tuition figures.
Median net price $45,171
Much of the gap between net price and sticker price is filled by institutional and government grants. At Emerson College, 80% of students receive some grants and scholarships, compared to the national average of 87% for all colleges and universities. The average amount of federal, state, and institutional grants that students receive is shown on the right.
This leaves a total of $45,171 on average to be covered by the student – be it through loans or out of pocket. In total, 51% of students take out loans, federal or private, at an average amount of $12,382. This is 3% less than the national average.
Federal grants
$5,314
Pell grants
$4,988
State grants
$3,326
Institutional grants
$24,141
Emerson College's selective admissions are indicated by their 45% acceptance rate. In 2021, the school had 11,568 applicants, of which 5,238 were admitted and 1,058 enrolled. Emerson College has a rolling admissions policy, which means applications are reviewed as they arrive until all spaces are filled.
Full time
100%
83%
Female
61%
59%
First time
78%
59%
In-state
16%
68%
1st generation
13%
35%
White
59%
52%
Black
4%
14%
Hispanic
13%
15%
Asian
5%
5%
American Indian
N/A
1.6%
Pacific Islander
N/A
0.3%
Other
19%
12%