Who is considered a transfer student?
At Emerson, a transfer student is anyone with a high school diploma or equivalent (e.g., GED, HiSet) who has earned 9 or more college credits or who has enrolled full-time at another college. If you earned your college credits prior to high school graduation (e.g., dual enrollment), you will be considered a first-year applicant.
How to Apply
We accept the Common Application and Emerson Application. Transfer students are required to complete all parts of the application, including the Emerson-specific questions and writing supplement.
To learn more about supplemental and program-specific information that might be required with your application, we recommend that you visit our Transfer Guide—particularly if you are applying to Comedic Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies, Performing Arts, or Media Arts Production.
Please note that as a transfer applicant, you may apply to all undergraduate majors except for the Global BFA in Film Art, the Global BA in International and Political Communication, the Global BA in Business of Creative Enterprises, Health and Social Change, and Media Psychology.
Additionally, students interested in transferring into Performing Arts or Comedic Arts must apply by the March 15 priority deadline.
Veterans
Emerson College is committed to helping veterans in their pursuit of higher education. We are proud to be a Yellow Ribbon Program participant. Visit our website for a detailed list of veteran resources and benefits.
International Transfer Students
Some international students may be required to submit additional academic credentials and examinations. If you have a transcript from a college or university outside the United States, you may need to submit a course-by-course evaluation by an approved NACES credential evaluation service by the application deadline.
Additionally, students from countries where English is not the national language or who have not completed at least three years of consecutive study (at the secondary or post-secondary level) at an institution that uses English as its primary language of instruction are required to take one of the approved English proficiency exams to be considered for admission.
To learn more about applying as an international student, please visit our webpage that discusses application requirements.
Transferring Credits
- No students transferring into Emerson College from another institution may transfer in a maximum of 80 pre-matriculation credits.
- No more than 64 credits can be from a junior or community college.
- No more than 32 credits can be from exams (e.g., AP, IB, CLEP).
- Post-matriculation, transfer students will be limited to a maximum of 64 transfer credits, including those credits transferred in pre-matriculation.
Visit Transferology to see an estimate of what and how many credits will transfer**.
** This is not an official transfer record. Within a week of acceptance, the Registrar’s Office will review a transfer student’s liberal arts courses and provide an official credit evaluation. Students are encouraged to hold onto their course syllabi, as major-related courses taken at a previous institution often need further evaluation by an Emerson department chair or undergraduate coordinator to determine how they will transfer.
For additional information regarding the credit transfer process, please visit our website.
Living in Boston
While Emerson does offer some on-campus housing for transfer and upperclass students, it is limited and on a space-available basis. Our Office of Off-Campus Student Services provides assistance in finding roommates as well as locating apartments throughout the city. Boston is home to hundreds of thousands of college students, which means there are many housing options to choose from. Additionally, with Emerson’s location in the heart of the city, you are never more than a few steps from the “T” (Boston’s subway system), making for a short trip back home after class.
To learn more about off-campus housing options, please visit the Off-Campus Student Services webpage.
Financing Your Emerson Education
We are committed to making an Emerson education as accessible as possible for our students. Through scholarships; federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs; and payment plan options, we strive to help families manage the cost of an Emerson education.
Additionally, we offer several merit-based scholarship opportunities to transfer students applying for fall term enrollment.
Next Step Emerson Scholarship
The Next Step Emerson Scholarship offers graduates from community colleges who complete an application by March 15 the opportunity to be considered for a $28,000/year scholarship toward full-time attendance at Emerson College. Visit our website for more information, including scholarship requirements.
PTK Honor Society
As a 2021 PTK Honor Roll school, Emerson offers students who are active PTK members at any accredited community college the opportunity to receive an $8,000/year merit-based scholarship toward full-time attendance.
Gateway Scholarship
The Gateway Scholarship offers selected students who are transferring from a public or private four-year college/university the opportunity to receive a $10,000/year merit-based scholarship toward full-time attendance at Emerson College.
Visit our website for a full list of transfer scholarships.
Basic Expenses
Tuition
$52,288
Fees
$944
Room and Board Standard Double
$19,528*
Total
$72,760
* Please note that transfer students living off campus do not pay Emerson room and board. The estimated cost of living off campus is $16,650.
Transfer Admission Calendar
Priority Application Deadline
Fall Enrollment
March 15*
Spring Enrollment November 1#
Scholarship Deadline
Fall Enrollment March 15+
Spring Enrollment N/A
Decision Notification Date
Fall Enrollment Rolling**
Spring Enrollment Rolling**
Rolling Decision Deadline
Fall Enrollment June 15
Spring Enrollment N/A
Candidate Reply Date
Fall Enrollment As specified
Spring Enrollment As specified
Transfer Financial Aid Calendar
Deadline for All Forms
Fall Enrollment
April 5
Spring Enrollment November 15
Decision Notification Date
Fall Enrollment Rolling**
Spring Enrollment Rolling**
Reply Date
Fall Enrollment As specified
Spring Enrollment As specified
Financial aid decisions and reply dates are estimated. Review mail/email correspondence for your specific timeline.
* All students interested in Performing Arts or Comedic Arts must apply by the priority deadline of March 15.
# Applications submitted after this date will be considered on a space-available basis until December 2.
+ Based on availability, students may be considered for scholarships after March 15.
** Applications are reviewed and evaluated on a continuing basis.