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Emerson College
About 51 in 100 applicants get into Emerson College — solidly within reach for students near the ranges below.
Not sure where you stand? Estimate your GPA →
Emerson College sits in Boston proper — a private campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. International students are a visible presence here — 15% of undergraduates come from outside the U.S.
Its highest-earning path is Marketing, where graduates median $76,623 four years out. Faculty pay averages $142,236 a year here — a rough proxy for what the school spends on the teaching itself. With 3,870 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 87.4% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1250 and 1410 — near the MA middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Emerson College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
Scores help here but aren't the gate. If your SAT sits inside the 1250–1410 submitter range, sending it likely helps; below it, Emerson College's own policy says you can leave it out.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 650 | 690 | 720 |
| SAT Math | 600 | 650 | 690 |
| ACT Composite | 30 | 31 | 33 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Emerson College received 11,092 applications and admitted 5,267 (47.5%), with 997 enrolling.
How Emerson College compares
| Emerson College | Massachusetts median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 51.3% | 70.7% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $57,056 | $46,700 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $62,832 | $62,832 | $53,781 |
Ten years after enrolling, the median Emerson College student earns $62,832 — 0% above the Massachusetts median of $62,832 for college-goers.
Cost, size & completion
Emerson College lists tuition at $57,056 for everyone — private schools don't do residency pricing. Emerson College's sticker and net price can differ sharply after aid; treat $57,056 as the ceiling, not the bill.
Emerson College enrolls 3,870 undergraduates — mid-sized, with the trade-offs Emerson College's scale implies: more programs than a small college, more anonymity too.
77.1% of Emerson College students finish a bachelor's within six years — 22.3 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $57,056 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Emerson College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Marketing | $76,623 |
| Journalism | $63,337 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | $61,496 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $59,301 |
| Communication and Media Studies | $59,202 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | $51,742 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $49,951 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $49,381 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $44,760 |
Median earnings for these 9 Emerson College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $62,832 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 5 additional Emerson College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Emerson College?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1250–1410 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 51.3% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Emerson College's acceptance rate?
47.5% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 5,267 admitted from 11,092 applicants.
How much does Emerson College cost?
At Emerson College, published tuition is $57,056 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Emerson College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Emerson College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $62,832 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Massachusetts
- Clark University — 39.5% admitted
- Laboure College of Healthcare — 50% admitted
- Brandeis University — 40.5% admitted
- Berklee College of Music — 43.5% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.