At $46,766/yr net price, Emerson College graduates earn $62,832/yr within 10 years of enrollment, which is $28,832/yr above the median for high school graduates.
Cost vs. Outcomes
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Average Net Price (per year) | $46,766 |
| Estimated 4-Year Cost | $187,064 |
| Median Earnings (10yr post-entry) | $62,832/yr |
| Earnings Premium vs. HS Diploma | +$28,832/yr |
| Estimated Break-Even | 6.5 years |
| Graduation Rate (6-year) | 79.3% |
| Median Debt at Graduation | $23,000 |
What You'll Actually Pay
Average net price by family income
| Family Income | Estimated Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $31,412/yr |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $34,742/yr |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $39,297/yr |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $43,628/yr |
| $110,001+ | $55,833/yr |
Earnings by Major
Top programs ranked by median earnings
| Program | Level | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business/Corporate Communications. | Master | $57,318 | |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Master | $57,318 | |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Master | $56,776 | $54,435 |
| Marketing. | Master | $56,641 | $41,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Master | $48,432 | |
| Marketing. | Bachelor | $44,327 | $21,500 |
| Publishing. | Master | $43,426 | $44,360 |
| Journalism. | Master | $41,193 | |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. | Master | $40,140 | $61,500 |
| Journalism. | Bachelor | $38,953 | $23,610 |
The Risk Factor
79.3% of students at Emerson College graduate within 6 years. A significant share of students finish, but roughly 21% do not complete their degree.
Analysis
Emerson College costs nearly $47,000 a year, and your median earnings ten years out land at $62,832. That gap defines the problem here: a strong overall salary number sits well above what any of the listed undergraduate programs actually produce. The programs Emerson is built around , journalism, PR and advertising, radio and TV , pay between $32,000 and $39,000 for graduates. Marketing tops the bachelor's list at $44,327, and even that trails the full annual net price.
This is a media and communications school in a high-cost city, and the early-career pay for those fields is low. If you major in radio, television, and digital communication, you start around $32,264 while carrying debt in the low twenties. Marketing is your best-paying option on paper, but the spread between it and the weakest program is only about $12,000. None of these paths clears the cost of a single year of attendance in first-decade earnings for the specific majors listed.
The financial risk is concentrated in Boston's price tag against Boston's creative-industry pay. Median debt of $23,000 is manageable on a $60,000 salary, but tighter if you land in journalism or broadcast at under $40,000. The 79% graduation rate and 88% retention mean you're likely to finish, so the risk is earnings, not dropping out.
The net price tiers cut into the sticker shock. Under $30,000 in family income, you pay about $31,400. over $110,000, you pay nearly $56,000. Emerson makes the most sense if you're set on media work, value the Boston location, and can keep debt near the median. If you want communications degrees to pay off fast, a cheaper program will get you similar starting salaries for far less.