Emerson Boston vs Art Center College of Design

Emerson College and Art Center College of Design, two esteemed institutions with distinct identities, offer students unique pathways to success in the creative industries. Emerson College, rooted in the liberal arts, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on communication and the performing arts. Art Center College of Design, renowned for its design and media arts programs, attracts a more specialized student population with a passion for visual expression. While both colleges share a commitment to excellence in education, their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates reveal their distinctive characteristics. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	Art Center College of Design	Emerson College
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	Boston, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	87.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.6%	45.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1200 - 1400
ACT range	N/A	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score		28.0%
Students submitting ACT score		12.0%
Total number of applicants	982	11,568
Total number of admissions given out	742	5,238
Admitted students who chose to enroll	269	1,058
Yield rate	36.3%	20.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$72,066	$73,450
Average net price	$50,420	$48,842
Tuition	$47,334	$51,264
Room & board		$19,144
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $17,667	80.0% Average amount $25,433
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $5,367	50.0% Average amount $5,314
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,675	13.0% Average amount $28,643

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,028 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	4,117 Men 35.6% Women 64.4%
Graduate students	291 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%	1,783 Men 12.4% Women 87.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	45.4%	12.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	2,583
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California New York New Jersey Connecticut Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies Communications Technology Architecture Computer and Information Science	Visual & Performing Arts Health Professions Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Education
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	75.9%	78.8%
Dropout rate	9.8%	20.5%
Transferred out	8.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,017 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $57,513 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,536 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $27,282 Architectural Sciences and Technology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,380 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,126 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,973 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: N/A Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,061 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,685 Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $11,851 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $17,249 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,751 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $62,323 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,791 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $59,256 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,510 Year 2: $44,327 Year 3: $53,692 Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,045 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $50,740 Publishing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,317 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $48,728 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,632 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $46,462 Journalism (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,675 Year 2: $38,953 Year 3: $45,255 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $36,872 Year 2: $40,140 Year 3: $43,252 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,439 Year 2: $28,212 Year 3: $42,141 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: $41,506

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Art Center College of Design

American Conservatory Theater