Emerson Boston vs Columbia College

Emerson College and Columbia College Chicago, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to aspiring artists, communicators, and leaders. Emerson, located in the heart of Boston, boasts a vibrant campus and a strong focus on the liberal arts, while Columbia, nestled in the cultural hub of Chicago, emphasizes interdisciplinary studies and hands-on learning. With acceptance rates of 48% and 78%, respectively, these colleges attract a diverse student body, with Columbia having a slightly larger undergraduate population. While Emerson is known for its programs in communication, journalism, and the performing arts, Columbia excels in film, television, and music. Both institutions offer competitive graduation rates, with Emerson at 84% and Columbia at 78%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two exceptional colleges and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Columbia College Chicago	Emerson College
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	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	62.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.6%	45.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	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	7,218	11,568
Total number of admissions given out	6,903	5,238
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,696	1,058
Yield rate	24.6%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,698	$73,450
Average net price	$25,262	$48,842
Tuition	$26,610	$51,264
Room & board	$16,456	$19,144
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $20,992	80.0% Average amount $25,433
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $6,068	50.0% Average amount $5,314
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $19,315	13.0% Average amount $28,643

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,493 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	4,117 Men 35.6% Women 64.4%
Graduate students	243 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	1,783 Men 12.4% Women 87.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	46.1%	N/A
International students	4.0%	12.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,158	2,583
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Indiana Michigan Minnesota Ohio	California New York New Jersey Connecticut Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Business	Visual & Performing Arts Health Professions Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Education
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.9%	78.8%
Dropout rate	48.5%	20.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,418 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,304 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,500 Year 2: $36,124 Year 3: $46,919 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,614 Year 2: $41,789 Year 3: $41,739 Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,521 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $41,719 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,175 Year 2: $40,355 Year 3: $41,194 Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,857 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,498 American Sign Language (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,692 Year 2: $35,330 Year 3: $38,260 Journalism (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,841 Year 2: $30,635 Year 3: $37,241 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,669 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $37,111 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,065 Year 2: $29,737 Year 3: $36,271	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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