Emory University
Private Research University in Atlanta, GA. Six-year graduation rate 91%. Median 10-year earnings $80,137.
A decade after enrolling, the median Emory University student earns $80,137 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. The six-year graduation rate of 91% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Median debt at graduation is $18,250, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.23 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ Graduation rate 91% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Admit rate 11% — heavily selective, limited transfer slots
Admissions
This is a highly selective admit: 11% of applicants receive an offer. The applicant pool is large — 33,450 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. Yield is high — 40% of admitted students go on to enroll, well above the typical rate. The score bands below rest on the 43% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 720–760 | 623 (43%) |
| SAT Math | 750–790 | |
| ACT Composite | 32–35 | 286 (20%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Emory University →Academics
A 91% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. 96% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. The 10:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. The undergraduate population is 7,359 — big enough for a real range of programs, small enough to navigate.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 7,275 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $27,303 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $7,363 while those at $110k+ pay $53,018. Grant aid reaches 52% of students at an average of $51,350. 11% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,425 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,363 |
| $30–48k | $9,220 |
| $48–75k | $11,237 |
| $75–110k | $13,821 |
| $110k+ | $53,018 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 781 of these 7,275 students, totalling $5,013,194 — an average of $6,419 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (DeKalb County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)