In an email communication from President Jay Bernhardt on Tuesday, he announced that Emerson College’s tuition and financial aid are expected to rise in the upcoming year. Current students have been told to expect to see a rise in their cost of attendance for the upcoming academic year, along with an increase in their financial aid packages, according to the email.
The Board of Trustees has approved the budget for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year, which includes a 3.5% increase in costs of tuition, housing, and dining, Bernhardt wrote in the email. These increases reflect a rise in tuition costs among colleges in the Boston area, yet Emerson’s most recent increase “remains below that of most peer institutions,” the email noted.
Other private liberal arts colleges in the Boston area that saw price hikes include Wellesley College, which is now the most expensive undergraduate school statewide, with a 4.5% tuition increase, Amherst College with a 4.7% increase, and Emmanuel College, which experienced a 4.4% increase.
Despite Emerson’s upcoming tuition increase remaining below its peer institutions, the College has experienced its own trend of increasing tuition costs. In the 2023-24 academic year, Emerson’s tuition increased by 4%, followed by a 3% jump for 2024-25. Overall, the cost of tuition has continued to increase by approximately 48%, from $37,350 in 2014 to $55,392 in 2024.
Alongside upcoming tuition increases, student financial aid funds will also increase by 7.1% for the next fiscal year, Bernhardt announced. This marks one of Emerson’s largest year-over-year aid increases, the email read, compared with a previous aid budget increase of 5% for 2024-25
The incoming financial aid funds will be primarily directed towards students with the greatest financial need so as to “reinforce [Emerson’s] ongoing commitment to affordability and access,” Bernhardt wrote.
According to the most recent data published by Emerson, in the 2022-23 academic year, 79% of students received financial assistance, and 14.7% received federal low-income Pell Grants. However, with recent attempts by the Trump administration to dismantle the Department of Education, there are growing concerns about whether students will be able to rely on federal aid or loans.
Emerson ranks fifth among higher education institutions with the worst financial aid in the U.S., according to The Princeton Review. Many students say the lack of financial aid has burdened their ability to attend or consider attending the College.
Addressing financial barriers is part of the second phase of Emerson’s new strategic plan, “Extraordinary Emerson 2030.” According to the plan, addressing financial challenges aims to maintain student retention, graduation, and overall success. Emerson experienced a significant enrollment shortfall this past academic year, and it isn’t yet clear if the strategic plan, the tuition increase, or the financial aid budget rise will have any impact on the incoming freshman class.
“Higher education faces a time of rapid change and increasing uncertainty,” Bernhardt wrote in the email. “At Emerson, we are addressing these challenges with a mission-driven and values-centered approach, guided by our new strategic plan and our enduring commitment to providing a world-class educational experience rooted in innovation and inclusion.”
