Private nonprofit · College
Emerson College
Boston, Massachusetts · Large city
- 51.3%
- Admit rate
- $49,180
- Avg net price
- 77%
- Graduation rate
- $62,832
- Median earnings
Emerson College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Boston, Massachusetts (large city setting), enrolling 3,870 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Emerson College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 51.3%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1270–1420
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.78
Enter a test score to see where you land against Emerson College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Emerson College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. In 1630, settlers led by John Winthrop arrived, and found Shawmut Peninsula nearly empty of Native people. Most had died of European diseases borne by earlier settlers and traders. Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the non-rhotic Eastern New England accent known as the Boston accent and a regional cuisine with a large emphasis on seafood, salt, and dairy products. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to Boston, MA
- To the ocean
- 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Boston Logan (BOS) · major hub
How Emerson College compares
More selective than 83% · #21 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 86%
Higher than 87% · #20 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 81%
Higher than 73% · #34 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 1% · #64 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 53%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 73%
Percentiles compare Emerson College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate3,87074%
- Graduate1,35526%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,37761%
- Men1,49339%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White55%
- Black6.0%
- Hispanic12%
- Asian5.7%
- Other or multiracial22%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,870
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,355
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 16%
- First-generation students
- 13%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $93,112
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $106,677
- Endowment
- $264,747,512
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 997 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Massachusetts15%
- Other U.S. states68%
- International17%
A national draw — only 15% of first-years come from Massachusetts; 68% arrive from other states.
17% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 51.3%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1270–1420
- SAT average
- 1358
- SAT reading
- 660–720
- SAT math
- 610–700
- ACT composite
- 29–32
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.78
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $57,056
- Room & board
- $20,920
- Books & supplies
- $1,250
- Total cost of attendance
- $80,399
- Average net price
- $49,180
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 77%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 71%
- First-year retention
- 87%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $42,799
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $62,832
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,000
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 75%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 2,583
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 67%
- Application fee
- $65
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 224 (129 men · 95 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 10
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (5,263 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$41,927/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Emerson College discounts heavily: 78% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $25,212. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,002 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $62,832
- Typical debt at graduation
- $23,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 37%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 67%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Women out-earn men by $11,683 (22%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 82°F
- Winter low
- 23°F
- Annual rain
- 43.6″
- Annual snow
- 49.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Boston Logan Intl AP, MA US station (2.9 mi from campus).
What Emerson College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Emerson College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Emerson College side by side →
Yeshiva University
New York, New York · Large city · 10 mi to New York
- Students
- 2,852
- Admission
- 56%
- Net price
- $50k
- SAT
- 1426
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $71k
Dickinson College
Carlisle, Pennsylvania · Small city · 17 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 2,273
- Admission
- 42%
- Net price
- $38k
- SAT
- 1391
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $70k
Chapman University
Orange, California · Midsize city · 29 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 7,478
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $47k
- SAT
- 1357
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $70k
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 11 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 7,094
- Admission
- 45%
- Net price
- $48k
- SAT
- 1359
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Baylor University
Waco, Texas · Midsize city · 2 mi to Waco
- Students
- 14,785
- Admission
- 51%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1329
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $66k
Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina · Large suburb · 6 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 2,379
- Admission
- 43%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1371
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
Colleges near Emerson College
New England Law-Boston
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Suffolk University
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,268 students
Fisher College
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,167 students
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 483 students
Sattler College
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 57 students
North Bennet Street School
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 155 students
Boston Architectural College
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 280 students
New England College of Optometry
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













