Quad

Head-to-head

Emerson
Trinity

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Trinity costs about $27.5K less per year on average than Emerson ($32,289 vs. $59,789, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Trinity's grants cover 53% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at Emerson

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Trinity is 2.0× more selective than Emerson

    Acceptance rate
  4. 4

    Trinity grads earn $8.8K more ten years out than Emerson's ($71,668 vs. $62,832)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Trinity's SAT midpoint is 75 points higher than Emerson's

    SAT midpoint
  6. 6

    Emerson has 1.5× as many undergrads as Trinity

    Undergrads

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

Trinity admits 26%, Emerson 51%; Trinity's yield is higher, at 20%.

Acceptance rate
Emerson51%
Trinity26%
Quad's selectivity
  • EmersonVery selective
  • TrinityVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Emerson
1270–1420
Trinity
1340–1500
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • EmersonGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • TrinityGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Emerson has 1.5× as many undergrads as Trinity; Trinity has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Emerson3.9K
Trinity2.5K
Pell Grant share
Emerson16%
Trinity19%

Majors and faculty

Cinematography and Film/Video Production leads at Emerson, and Accounting at Trinity; Trinity has 8 students per faculty member to Emerson's 14.

Students per faculty member
Emerson14 to 1
Trinity8 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • EmersonCinematography and Film/Video Production45%
  • TrinityAccounting8%

What each costs

Trinity costs about $27.5K less a year than Emerson on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Emerson$59.8K
Trinity$32.3K
Aid generosity
Emerson26%
Trinity53%

What each pays off

Trinity's former students earn more, a median $71.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Emerson$62.8K
Trinity$71.7K
Graduation rate
Emerson79%
Trinity78%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Trinity got more selective while Emerson held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • EmersonGrowing+19%
  • TrinityGrowing+127%
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