Quad

Head-to-head

American
Emerson

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    American grads earn $14.5K more ten years out than Emerson's ($77,370 vs. $62,832)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    American costs about $8.1K less per year on average than Emerson ($51,726 vs. $59,789, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  3. 3

    American has 1.9× as many undergrads as Emerson

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    American's grants cover 32% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at Emerson

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    Emerson admits 51% vs. 62% at American

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    American's SAT midpoint is 25 points higher than Emerson's

    SAT midpoint

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Emerson admits 51%, American 62%; both have the same yield, 16%.

Acceptance rate
American62%
Emerson51%
Quad's selectivity
  • AmericanVery selective
  • EmersonVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
American
1280–1460
Emerson
1270–1420
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • AmericanGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • EmersonGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

American has 1.9× as many undergrads as Emerson; Emerson has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
American7.3K
Emerson3.9K
Pell Grant share
American14%
Emerson16%

Majors and faculty

International Relations and Affairs leads at American, and Cinematography and Film/Video Production at Emerson.

Students per faculty member
American10 to 1
Emerson14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • AmericanInternational Relations and Affairs18%
  • EmersonCinematography and Film/Video Production45%

What each costs

American costs about $8.1K less a year than Emerson on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
American$51.7K
Emerson$59.8K
Aid generosity
American32%
Emerson26%

What each pays off

American's former students earn more, a median $77.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
American$77.4K
Emerson$62.8K
Graduation rate
American79%
Emerson79%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; American got less selective while Emerson held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • AmericanGrowing+14%
  • EmersonGrowing+19%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why