While Massachusetts residents filled Boston Common on April 5 for the nationwide “Hands Off!” protest, prospective students filled Emerson’s halls for the “Picture Yourself at Emerson” event. 

“We hope you start to picture yourself at Emerson because we can already picture you here, and it looks amazing!” wrote President Jay Bernhardt in a welcome letter to prospective students in a handout of the day’s events.

Emerson’s annual “Picture Yourself at Emerson” event hosted some of the recently accepted class of 2029 students to explore campus and learn about the school. To mark the celebratory event, purple balloons adorned Emerson buildings and admissions staff were scattered around greeting families with a smile. 

Though students walked the halls of their potential home for the next four years with wide-eyed curiosity, the financial uncertainty that comes with enrolling at Emerson for many could not be ignored.

“[Emerson] ended up giving me the least amount of money I got from any of the colleges I applied to,” Sydney Crosskill, a prospective journalism student from Maine, said. “It was definitely discouraging and caused me to look at other options.”

Crosskill received around $21,000 in aid from Emerson while receiving offers of $30,000 and above from fellow Greater Boston institutions like Fisher College and Suffolk University. She said Emerson’s annual price tag is “for sure a deciding factor,” but said that the college is still among her top choices because she is “in love with a lot about the school.”

Students across the nation are facing uncertainty about financing their postsecondary education, according to Vox. The recent order to dismantle the Department of Education, which came from the Trump administration, has left many across the country worried about the state of federal aid and Pell Grants, which help fund nearly 45% of undergraduate students’ education, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 

The detrimental effects of this are especially seen at private universities, like Emerson, where many students rely on institutional grants and scholarships to fund their education. At Emerson, about 79% of students receive institutional aid while just 14.9% receive federal Pell Grants, according to the college’s most recent published data for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Emerson’s tuition is continuously on the rise, and saw an increase of 4% in the 2023-24 academic year and an increase of nearly 3% for the 2024-25 academic year. While statistics for the historically smaller class of 2028’s institutional award totals have not yet been published by the college, the totals from the 2021-22 academic year to the 2022-23 academic year show an increase in aid awarded of about 9% on average.

“Emerson recognizes the significant financial commitment that higher education represents and is deeply committed to making an Emerson education accessible to all students,” a college spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Beacon. “Last year, the College made a substantial investment to expand financial aid, with a strong focus on supporting those with the greatest need. 

“Building on that commitment, Emerson plans to significantly increase its financial aid support once again in the upcoming year,” the statement read.

Emerson’s programs and opportunities continue to be a draw for many students, and Emerson President Bernhardt’s strategic plan aims to hike enrollment in comparison to Fall 2024. However, the financial burden of an ever-increasing price tag may make it difficult for some students and their families to truly picture themselves at Emerson.

Following recent staff layoffs and a shuttering of two popular programs, Emerson students have expressed dissatisfaction with the financial services of the college, and some prospective students are fearing the same.

 “A lot of us … were in agreement that the tuition was one of the biggest challenges about the school,” Crosskill said. She pointed out that the college did acknowledge this at the event and allot a significant amount of time to discussion of financial support. 

Within the event’s agenda, six hours were reserved for individuals to set up financial aid appointments and a separate 45 minutes for a financial aid information session for parents and families. 

Although Crosskill did not attend either of these herself, she said that she appreciated that, “the resources were very accessible for those who wanted them.” 

The cost of Emerson nonetheless created a point of hesitation for Crosskill.

“[The cost has] made things a lot more difficult and added stress that I feel wouldn’t be there if it were a bigger offer,” she said.

Emily Matthew-Muller, another prospective student from Vermont who plans to study writing, literature, and publishing, said that while she is fully committed to Emerson, the financial aspect is not ideal. 

“The financial piece of the situation will be very strenuous for me and my family,” she wrote in a statement to The Beacon. She explained that currently she spends a lot of her time applying for scholarships and working to lessen the burden of student loans. 

Matthew-Muller also discussed her difficulties with the appeal process for financial aid. She attempted to submit an appeal to the college for more financial aid but was told, “they’d given out everything they could.” She explained that she had reached out to her admissions officer, but “was told the option to appeal for more merit aid was also taken away this year.” 

Matthew-Muller ultimately decided to commit to Emerson, despite the financial challenges, because of the writing, literature, and publishing major and her interests as a musician in the Pro-Arts Consortium. 

“It was the only school that offered me the programs I wanted,” she said.

Scarlett Heikkila is a prospective sports communication student from California. She is not committed to Emerson yet, but expressed in written correspondence with The Beacon that Emerson is among her top three choices and remained so even after receiving her financial aid package. 

“I’m still trying to work with financial aid, but I believe the program for sports communications at Emerson … is worth the financial sacrifice,” Heikkila said. 

She recalled her excitement when opening the financial aid package, saying it was greater in comparison to that of other schools. She received $20,000 from Emerson, but did note that its high tuition has made it still the most expensive option despite its more generous financial aid offer.

Elements of Bernhardt’s strategic plan to increase enrollment are already underway, including an increase in financial aid awards for the incoming class of 2029.

The office of financial aid confirmed to The Beacon that the “budget has increased from the academic year 23-24 to 24-25.” After this article was published, a college official clarified that Emerson’s financial aid budget increased by 5% for the 2024-25 academic year. 

As the Fall 2025 admissions cycle is currently active, it remains unclear if Emerson’s increased investment in financial aid will have a positive effect on enrollment for the class of 2029.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect a more accurate tuition increase percentage for the 2024-25 academic year. A college official also confirmed to The Beacon after publication that the institution’s financial aid budget increased by 5% between academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25.