---
title: Emerson College — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Boston, MA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Emerson College

Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $62,832 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $33,763 – $89,059 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $19,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $7,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 77% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $80,399 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 73% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.30× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $34,832 | derived |

**77% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $19,000 (≈ 30% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $22,766 to $56,751 across 14 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Master's Degree | $56,751 | $54,435 |
| Marketing. | Master's Degree | $55,791 | $41,000 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,510 | $21,500 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,632 | $23,719 |
| Publishing. | Master's Degree | $41,317 | $44,360 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Master's Degree | $39,045 | not reported |
| Journalism. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,675 | $23,610 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,439 | $23,717 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $37,647 | $41,000 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. | Master's Degree | $36,872 | $61,500 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,236 | not reported |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,525 | $23,776 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,409 | $23,250 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,766 | $25,000 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Emerson College by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?165662

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/emerson-college-ma.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`