10-yr median earnings
$62,832
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Boston, Massachusetts
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private nonprofit institution in Boston, Massachusetts. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $62,832
- 10-yr median earnings
- 51.3%
- Acceptance rate
- $49,180
- Avg net price / yr
- 78.2%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Emerson College pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 12%
- former-student earnings, US
- 51.3%
- acceptance rate
- 78.2%
- 150%-time completion
- +47%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Large
Carnegie: Master's (L)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Emerson College profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C
College Value Score
58/100
Emerson College
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A
$62,832
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$49,180
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A-
78.2%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$23,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A
82.2%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention B+
87.4%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$49,180
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
78.2%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 78.2%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Emerson College vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Emerson College ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Emerson College: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$62,832 Top 12% higher than 88% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Emerson College | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $62,832 | #636 of 5103 | 88th |
| Average net price | $49,180 | #4977 of 5020 | 1st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 78.2% | #817 of 4858 | 83rd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,870 | #920 of 5462 | 83rd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
3,870
Undergraduate enrollment
51.3%
Acceptance rate
1,358
SAT average
78.2%
150%-time completion
$62,832
10-yr median earnings
87.4%
First-year retention
How Emerson College ranks in Massachusetts
State rank among 106 reporting Massachusetts colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Emerson College | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $62,832 | #36 of 106 | 66th |
| Average net price | $49,180 | #116 of 117 | 1st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 78.2% | #32 of 109 | 71st |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,870 | #26 of 128 | 80th |
Highest former-student earnings in Massachusetts
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $143,372 | $20,111 |
| 2 | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | $129,455 | $25,171 |
| 3 | Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | $125,557 | $39,545 |
| 4 | Babson College | $123,938 | $40,514 |
| 5 | Bentley University | $120,959 | $37,930 |
| 6 | Boston College | $103,937 | $41,704 |
| 7 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | $103,470 | $43,071 |
| 8 | Harvard University | $101,817 | $19,066 |
| 9 | Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing | $101,466 | - |
| 10 | Northeastern University | $92,538 | $30,915 |
| 11 | Northeastern University Professional Programs | $92,538 | - |
| 12 | College of the Holy Cross | $90,543 | $38,782 |
| 36 | Emerson CollegeThis school | $62,832 | $49,180 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 51.3% |
| SAT Average | 1,358 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 610 – 700 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 660 – 720 |
| ACT Average | 30 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 29 – 32 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Emerson College
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$32,650 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$32,621 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$41,927 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$57,288 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Emerson College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $57,056 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $57,056 |
| Average Net Price | $49,180 |
15.5%
Pell Grant Rate
43.0%
Federal Loan Rate
$23,000
Median Debt
$244/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Emerson College rose +28.6% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $36,378 in 2013 to $46,766 in 2023, a rise of $10,388 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $36,3782023 · $46,766
Over the same years, enrollment went +11.4% (3,720 → 4,145 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
61.4%
Female
13.2%
First Generation
Outcomes
87.4%
Retention Rate
$42,799
Median Earnings (6yr)
68.1%
Earning Over $25K
82.2%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 78.2% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 87.4% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $42,799 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $62,832 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 68.1% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 82.2% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $23,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $244/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 11 | 900 | $57,310 | $76,623 | $23,786 |
| Master's | 10 | 552 | $61,364 | $93,412 | $47,216 |
Top programs at Emerson College by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Marketing
Marketing
$93,412 median earnings
- Marketing
Marketing
$76,623 median earnings
- Communication Disorders Sc…
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
$74,005 median earnings
- Journalism
Journalism
$63,337 median earnings
- Communication Disorders Sc…
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
$61,496 median earnings
- Publishing
Publishing
$61,304 median earnings
- Public Relations, Advertis…
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
$59,301 median earnings
- Communication and Media St…
Communication and Media Studies
$59,202 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Master's | 76 | $93,412 | $41,000 |
| Marketing | Bachelor's | 65 | $76,623 | $21,500 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Master's | 249 | $74,005 | $54,435 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's | 108 | $63,337 | $23,610 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Bachelor's | 10 | $61,496 | $26,000 |
| Publishing | Master's | 42 | $61,304 | $44,360 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | Bachelor's | 44 | $59,301 | $23,719 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's | 37 | $59,202 | $23,717 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Master's | 39 | $57,493 | $41,000 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Master's | 61 | $56,485 | $61,500 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Master's | 23 | $53,881 | $41,000 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's | 124 | $51,742 | $23,776 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Bachelor's | 359 | $49,951 | $23,250 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Bachelor's | 19 | $49,381 | $23,500 |
| Journalism | Master's | 13 | $48,294 | - |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah, GA
$49,430 net price · $250 apart
Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA
$49,465 net price · $285 apart
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, CA
$48,661 net price · $519 apart
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
$49,790 net price · $610 apart
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital
East Syracuse, NY
+$1,165/year · $5/year apart
Hampton University
Hampton, VA
+$1,156/year · $5/year apart
Cairn University-Langhorne
Langhorne, PA
+$1,153/year · $8/year apart
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing
Brockton, MA
+$1,175/year · $14/year apart
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Emerson College? ▼
Emerson College is a private nonprofit institution in Boston, Massachusetts. The acceptance rate is 51.3%. The average SAT score is 1,358. Undergraduate enrollment is 3,870 students.
How much do Emerson College former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Emerson College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $62,832 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $42,799.
How much does Emerson College cost? ▼
The average net price at Emerson College is $49,180. In-state tuition is $57,056 and out-of-state tuition is $57,056. Median student debt at graduation is $23,000.
What is the graduation rate at Emerson College? ▼
Emerson College has a 78.2% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 87.4%.
Is Emerson College worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Emerson College is $23,000, while former students earn a median of $62,832 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 37% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 82.2% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $244.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Emerson College
- Compare Emerson College against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Massachusetts side by side.Browse Massachusetts
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.