The student population at Emerson College is 5,263 (3,908 undergraduate and 1,355 graduate students) . The number of students has increased by 784 (17.50%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 5,072 where 5,263 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 5 year-over-year increases and 4 decreases. It peaked at 5,900 students in 2022 and was lowest at 4,442 in 2017. Overall, enrollment rose from 4,479 to 5,263 students, a net gain of 784 (17.5%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Emerson College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Undergraduate | Graduate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 4,479 | 3,808 | 1,525 | 2,283 | 671 | 153 | 518 |
| 2016-17 | 4,442 -37 | 3,801 -7 | 1,526 1 | 2,275 -8 | 641 -30 | 152 -1 | 489 -29 |
| 2017-18 | 4,459 17 | 3,812 11 | 1,546 20 | 2,266 -9 | 647 6 | 167 15 | 480 -9 |
| 2018-19 | 4,573 114 | 3,855 43 | 1,550 4 | 2,305 39 | 718 71 | 180 13 | 538 58 |
| 2019-20 | 4,930 357 | 3,878 23 | 1,502 -48 | 2,376 71 | 1,052 334 | 211 31 | 841 303 |
| 2020-21 | 5,115 185 | 3,708 -170 | 1,388 -114 | 2,320 -56 | 1,407 355 | 200 -11 | 1,207 366 |
| 2021-22 | 5,900 785 | 4,117 409 | 1,465 77 | 2,652 332 | 1,783 376 | 221 21 | 1,562 355 |
| 2022-23 | 5,891 -9 | 4,155 38 | 1,444 -21 | 2,711 59 | 1,736 -47 | 220 -1 | 1,516 -46 |
| 2023-24 | 5,670 -221 | 4,171 16 | 1,387 -57 | 2,784 73 | 1,499 -237 | 208 -12 | 1,291 -225 |
| 2024-25 | 5,263 -407 | 3,908 -263 | 1,330 -57 | 2,578 -206 | 1,355 -144 | 199 -9 | 1,156 -135 |
| Average | 5,072 | 3,921 | 1,466 | 2,455 | 1,151 | 191 | 960 |
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 3,921 where 3,908 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Emerson College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Full-time | Part-time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 3,808 | 3,732 | 1,496 | 2,236 | 76 | 29 | 47 |
| 2016-17 | 3,801 | 3,733 | 1,501 | 2,232 | 68 | 25 | 43 |
| 2017-18 | 3,812 | 3,748 | 1,522 | 2,226 | 64 | 24 | 40 |
| 2018-19 | 3,855 | 3,779 | 1,510 | 2,269 | 76 | 40 | 36 |
| 2019-20 | 3,878 | 3,827 | 1,478 | 2,349 | 51 | 24 | 27 |
| 2020-21 | 3,708 | 3,626 | 1,346 | 2,280 | 82 | 42 | 40 |
| 2021-22 | 4,117 | 4,053 | 1,442 | 2,611 | 64 | 23 | 41 |
| 2022-23 | 4,155 | 4,104 | 1,425 | 2,679 | 51 | 19 | 32 |
| 2023-24 | 4,171 | 4,107 | 1,367 | 2,740 | 64 | 20 | 44 |
| 2024-25 | 3,908 | 3,839 | 1,311 | 2,528 | 69 | 19 | 50 |
| Average | 3,921 | 3,921 | 1,440 | 2,415 | 3,921 | 27 | 40 |
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 1,151 where 1,355 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Emerson College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Full-time | Part-time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 671 | 596 | 134 | 462 | 75 | 19 | 56 |
| 2016-17 | 641 | 578 | 134 | 444 | 63 | 18 | 45 |
| 2017-18 | 647 | 570 | 147 | 423 | 77 | 20 | 57 |
| 2018-19 | 718 | 628 | 159 | 469 | 90 | 21 | 69 |
| 2019-20 | 1,052 | 815 | 168 | 647 | 237 | 43 | 194 |
| 2020-21 | 1,407 | 1,044 | 157 | 887 | 363 | 43 | 320 |
| 2021-22 | 1,783 | 1,285 | 172 | 1,113 | 498 | 49 | 449 |
| 2022-23 | 1,736 | 1,236 | 169 | 1,067 | 500 | 51 | 449 |
| 2023-24 | 1,499 | 1,015 | 161 | 854 | 484 | 47 | 437 |
| 2024-25 | 1,355 | 940 | 156 | 784 | 415 | 43 | 372 |
| Average | 1,151 | 1,151 | 156 | 715 | 1,151 | 35 | 245 |
The percentage of white students is 54.34%. The percentage was 63.74% 10 years ago and Emerson still has a high percentage of white students. 5.45% of enrolled students is Asian and 6.76% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 12.81% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 63.74% to 54.34%. Asian enrollment grew from 3.84% to 5.45%. Black student enrollment increased from 3.30% to 6.76%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 10.27% to 12.81%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6787 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.5790 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Emerson College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
| Year | American Indian or Native American | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 5 | 172 | 148 | 460 | 4 | 2,855 | 180 |
| 2016-17 | 5 | 181 | 141 | 460 | 4 | 2,864 | 179 |
| 2017-18 | 6 | 193 | 143 | 494 | 4 | 2,821 | 162 |
| 2018-19 | 8 | 204 | 157 | 559 | 2 | 2,793 | 157 |
| 2019-20 | 10 | 236 | 208 | 639 | 1 | 2,903 | 179 |
| 2020-21 | 8 | 248 | 251 | 718 | 4 | 2,970 | 190 |
| 2021-22 | 6 | 322 | 326 | 829 | 8 | 3,286 | 238 |
| 2022-23 | 6 | 315 | 346 | 804 | 4 | 3,222 | 260 |
| 2023-24 | 6 | 307 | 328 | 729 | 3 | 3,088 | 259 |
| 2024-25 | 7 | 287 | 356 | 674 | 4 | 2,860 | 238 |
| Average | 7 | 247 | 240 | 637 | 4 | 2,966 | 204 |
599 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 11% of total students. The number of online students has increased 2,395.83% since 2017. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Emerson College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 4,479 | 0 | 16 | 4,463 |
| 2016-17 | 4,442 | 0 | 48 | 4,394 |
| 2017-18 | 4,459 | 24 | 25 | 4,410 |
| 2018-19 | 4,573 | 85 | 44 | 4,444 |
| 2019-20 | 4,930 | 348 | 145 | 4,437 |
| 2020-21 | 5,115 | 780 | 1,462 | 2,873 |
| 2021-22 | 5,900 | 889 | 645 | 4,366 |
| 2022-23 | 5,891 | 845 | 457 | 4,589 |
| 2023-24 | 5,670 | 705 | 642 | 4,323 |
| 2024-25 | 5,263 | 599 | 533 | 4,131 |
| Average | 5,072 | 428 | 402 | 4,243 |
Ratings & Review
Robert DeMattia (Alum)
Expensive
Emerson has the best teachers in BFA Film program. I would highly recommend this program for film students
Robert DeMattia strongly recommends the school.