Emerson College

Private · Moderately Selective · MA

Photo: John Phelan (CC BY 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads3,870

Student:faculty14:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate70.6%

6-yr grad rate77.1%

Drop-out rate12.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$57k

Out-of-state tuition$57k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity45.2%

Gender diversity65.7%

International15%

Identity—

Overview

Emerson is a Boston college devoted entirely to communication and the arts, occupying a compact urban campus along Boston Common in the theatre district. It is unusual among American colleges for having no other academic divisions; every student studies some combination of media, writing, performance, or communication, giving the school a tightly focused identity.

Academics

Film and media production, journalism, creative writing, theatre, and comedic arts, including a well-known pipeline into sketch and improv comedy, are Emerson's signature strengths, alongside marketing communication and publishing. The curriculum is hands-on and production-oriented, with students making films, running student media, and staging productions from early in their time there rather than waiting until upper-level coursework.

Campus & student life

The campus is fully urban, embedded in Boston's theatre and downtown district with buildings interspersed among city blocks rather than a traditional quad. Off-campus study options are distinctive, including a Los Angeles semester with entertainment-industry access and a campus in the Netherlands housed in a former castle. Student media and performance groups are central to social life more than athletics.

Getting in

Applications typically include a supplemental portfolio, writing sample, or audition depending on the program, and admission is holistic with real weight given to creative work and demonstrated commitment to a specific discipline, not just grades and scores.

After graduation

Alumni are heavily represented in film, television, comedy, journalism, and media industries, particularly in Los Angeles and New York, and the college's Los Angeles program and industry connections give students an unusually direct pipeline into entertainment-industry jobs and internships.

Worth knowing

The absence of programs outside communication and the arts is a deliberate identity, not a limitation; students choosing Emerson are choosing a school built entirely around those fields rather than a comprehensive university with an arts school inside it.

emerson.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate51.3%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1270–1420 · ACT 29–32

Test policyoptional

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Applying