by our College Data Analytics TeamThis overview lays out the cost of attending Emerson College, spanning what it costs to attend, projected costs over a degree, net price, debt outcomes, and aid equity.
If you want to dig into a particular figure, jump to any section below:
Published attendance costs at Emerson College comes to about $77,153.00 a year.
Here the cost is broken out three ways: no aid, average aid, and the aid a low-income student typically receives.
| Tuition and fees | $57,056.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $20,097.00 |
| Total cost | $77,153.00 |
| That is 135% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $77,153.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$31,219.00 |
| Net price | $45,934.00 |
| That is 40% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $77,153.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$47,749.00 |
| Net price | $29,404.00 |
| That is 10% below the national average net price. | |
| Explore each piece on the tuition & fees page plus living costs. |
Published costs have climbed year over year at about 3.0% per year, so the four-year total runs well above today’s cost. Below, the cost is projected across a degree for three students at once — low-income with aid, average aid, and no aid. The loan rows amortise the projected total over a ten-year, 6.8% repayment.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Freshman year | $30,292.00 | $47,321.00 | $79,483.00 |
| Senior year | $33,119.00 | $51,738.00 | $86,902.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $126,766.00 | $198,031.00 | $332,622.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $48,293.00 | $75,443.00 | $126,717.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,459.00 | $2,279.00 | $3,828.00 |
| Total amount paid | $175,060.00 | $273,473.00 | $459,339.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Freshman year | $30,292.00 | $47,321.00 | $79,483.00 |
| Senior year | $31,206.00 | $48,750.00 | $81,883.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $61,498.00 | $96,071.00 | $161,365.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $23,429.00 | $36,599.00 | $61,474.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $708.00 | $1,106.00 | $1,857.00 |
| Total amount paid | $84,927.00 | $132,670.00 | $222,839.00 |
Read more in the Net Price section.
The net price figure shows the cost after grants and scholarships are deducted. For most students, this is the more useful number than published tuition because it reflects the real out-of-pocket cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $49,180.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $46,766.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $31,412.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $34,742.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $39,297.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $43,628.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $55,833.00 |
Estimate your specific net price using the school’s Emerson College Net Price Calculator, or reach out to the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the financial aid page.
Median graduate debt at Emerson College comes to $19,000.00, landing it in the Low ($10-20k) debt-burden category.
The percentile spread of debt at graduation is shown below:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $5,500.00 |
| 25th | $12,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $19,000.00 |
| 75th | $27,000.00 |
| 90th | $29,125.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
Explore borrowing, repayment, and default in detail on the student loan debt page.
Median debt at graduation differs meaningfully across income brackets. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,375.00 |
| Middle income | $19,500.00 |
| High income | $18,988.00 |
Whether your parents attended college is associated with differences in median debt at graduation.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,782.00 |
First-gen students at Emerson College hold $1,718.00 more than continuing-generation graduates.
The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant for undergraduates from low-income families. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap at Emerson College is $3,312.00. The Department of Education flags this school for a Pell-debt-inequity pattern.
The Department of Education default-rate tier for Emerson College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 2.0% |
For a sense of scale, Stafford disbursements at Emerson College total $350,604,787.00 spread across 15,592 loan recipients.
Veterans and current servicemembers may be eligible for major federal education benefits including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 91 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $24,226.00 |
Dig into veteran education benefits on the veteran aid breakdown.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about Emerson College, a few questions are worth asking:
Each page below covers one part of paying for college in more detail:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.