Emerson Boston vs Berklee

Emerson College and Berklee College of Music, both located in the heart of Boston, offer unique educational experiences for students pursuing careers in the arts. Emerson College, known for its strong liberal arts foundation, boasts an acceptance rate of 48% and a diverse student body representing over 50 countries. With popular majors in Communication, Journalism, and Theatre, Emerson prepares students for careers in media, entertainment, and the arts. On the other hand, Berklee College of Music, renowned for its exceptional music programs, has a more selective acceptance rate of 33% and attracts students from all corners of the globe. With a focus on contemporary music, Berklee offers a wide range of majors in Music Production, Performance, and Music Business, preparing students for successful careers in the music industry. While both institutions offer excellent education in their respective fields, their distinct acceptance rates, popular majors, and student demographics reflect their unique strengths and cater to different aspirations. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover

	Berklee College of Music	Emerson College
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	Boston, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	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	82.0%	87.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	55.2%	45.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $150 Graduate: $150	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	7,266	11,568
Total number of admissions given out	4,009	5,238
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,707	1,058
Yield rate	42.6%	20.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$63,970	$73,450
Average net price	$48,055	$48,842
Tuition	$45,468	$51,264
Room & board	$18,828	$19,144
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $17,013	80.0% Average amount $25,433
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $5,220	50.0% Average amount $5,314
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $27,360	13.0% Average amount $28,643

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,177 Men 58.1% Women 41.9%	4,117 Men 35.6% Women 64.4%
Graduate students	766 Men 53.8% Women 46.2%	1,783 Men 12.4% Women 87.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	25.8%	12.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,417	2,583
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	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 Computer and Information Science Health Professions Education	Visual & Performing Arts Health Professions Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Education
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.0%	78.8%
Dropout rate	21.6%	20.5%
Transferred out	9.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $45,051 Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,786 Year 2: $31,914 Year 3: $40,006 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $26,503 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $28,820 Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,397 Year 2: $16,786 Year 3: $26,596 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,512 Year 2: $22,162 Year 3: $23,540 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: $19,273 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Music (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $20,239 Year 2: $16,478 Year 3: N/A Music (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $23,206 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

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