Pixelated confetti flew across the screens of hundreds of prospective Emerson College students, who received a long-awaited acceptance notification last week. Now, they will make their decision. 

The college is keeping a finger on its institutional pulse, as more than 90% of its operations are funded by students’ tuition. Enrollment decline has plagued the college in recent years, which led to budget cuts, office closures, and multiple waves of layoffs. 

Official enrollment numbers have not been updated since 2023, although some report a drop of 6% between 2024 and 2025. The decline was attributed to “negative press and social media” by the college following the Boylston Place Alley pro-Palestinian encampment and arrests that caught national media attention.  

In the last year, Emerson has invested in beautification projects around campus, created the School of Film, Television, and Media Arts, and introduced programming related to artificial intelligence, all of which the college has said are part of the 2030 Strategic Plan.

In a written response to The Beacon’s inquiry on the school’s efforts to attract more students, a college spokesperson said that Emerson has launched “program- and interest-based campus tours, driving stronger alignment between academic preferences and enrollment decisions.” 

“Over the past year, the College’s enrollment efforts have been focused on engaging prospective students around the unique Emersonian education and experience, showcasing our innovative academic programs and hands-on experiential learning opportunities,” the statement read. 

The Beacon spoke with some of the students who received acceptance letters last week. They showed a mix of excitement for what the school can offer, and concerns about how to finance their education.  

Bianca Basiliere, 18, an early decision communication studies major from Natick, Mass., said she was relieved when she received her acceptance notice. 

“Honestly, I was really excited. I kind of started crying a little bit. It was my top school,” she said. “I was super excited about it, but I was also really nervous.”

Basiliere said she is most looking forward to participating in the school’s extracurricular programs, especially the student-run radio station, WERS. 

“That’s something that I have always wanted to do, and I have listened to WERS before because it’s pretty popular,” she said. “Just seeing that and hearing people talk about it made me super interested.” 

Adanna Akamigbo, a committed journalism major from Silver Spring, Md., called Emerson her “dream school.” She said she feels that the resources in her field that Emerson provides will give her a step up when entering the job market. 

“I think since Emerson is very committed to liberal arts, that it gives me an advantage, because there’s so much knowledge and resources,” she said. 

Similar to Basiliere, Akamigbo is also interested in being involved with campus clubs and meeting other students. She explained that to be in an area that was more diverse, especially compared to her hometown, was a draw for her.

“[The student body] just seems very fun and still, a diverse group of people,” she said. “Being in Boston and just being able to be around a bunch of different people and cultures was really important.”

Keegan Curry Powers of Salem, N.H., also expressed her excitement about the resources and education Emerson can offer her as an incoming visual media arts major. She found out about Emerson through her high school Intermediate Television teacher. 

“He was like, that’s such a good media college, just definitely go there,’” she said. “All of their production items are going to be the most updated they can be because they’re one of the top film schools in the nation.”

Emerson was recently ranked sixth on The Hollywood Reporter’s best film schools in the country list for 2025. 

Powers is also interested in Emerson due to its famed alumni. 

“I was looking at the people who went there, like, Bill Burr and Jennifer Coolidge,” she said. “Just thinking about how many people probably have gone there and then gone on to do something … That’s gonna get me somewhere.” 

George Ravenel, an incoming journalism major from Charleston, South Carolina, also viewed Emerson’s student body as a compelling reason to choose the college. He said that growing up, his grandfather was “enamored” with the school after touring it around 30 years ago with Ravenal’s aunt. 

“I visited, and I was really amazed with kind of everything,” he said. “All the opportunity, and I felt like I would find a lot of people that are pretty similar to me, and that was really exciting.”

His decision to come to Emerson solidified when he visited in October. There, he met other students who were committed to the college, with whom he still keeps in contact. 

“It was just really positive interactions that I hadn’t really had at other schools that I had toured,” he said, adding that he didn’t enjoy how spread out and antisocial the other schools he toured were. “It was nice to find people to talk to with similar interests.”

The lack of designated campus space and the downtown location of Emerson’s Boston campus can be a drawback for some prospective students. But for Ravenel, it was a significant asset that set Emerson apart. 

“The city aspect of it, that’s the most exciting part to me,” he said. “Just being there, there’s just so much opportunity there. And just the campus being right in the middle of a lot of things, it’s just perfect.”

Samantha Beaubien, from Reno, N.V., who hopes to attend Emerson in the fall as a political communications major, said Emerson’s resources in her desired career field and unique major were a key reason for her decision to apply.

“There will be a lot of jobs there … you’ll have the ability to communicate and make connections and network, then you’ll also have the theory, and you’ll be able to analyze it,” she said.

Despite never living on the East Coast, she felt drawn to the location.  

“I went to a psychic two weeks ago when I was figuring out my college destination, and she was just like, I really see you on the East Coast,’” Beaubian said.

But Emerson also notoriously comes with a hefty price tag. Despite rising tuition and living costs on campus, the school’s financial aid options are limited — pushing some students to take out burdensome loans. Emerson currently ranks third-worst for financial aid in the country according to the Princeton Review. 

Sabrina Germain was excited about the possibility of attending Emerson after receiving an acceptance letter. That changed when she saw how much it would cost her to attend it.

She has since ultimately opted to commit to Boston University, which she said offered a better financial aid package. 

“It [would] just make a lot more sense for me to go to BU with such a discount compared to Emerson, which would’ve been a lot of money,” Germain said. 

Beaubien, who is still on the fence about Emerson, echoed Germain’s statements. 

“It’s just primarily my financial summary. If I can just calculate all of that and my gross income, and if I’m able to get a job in Boston and be able to sustain myself, I feel like I would 100% go [to Emerson].”