Emerson College Says Enrollment Down Significantly After "Negative" Reaction To Student Protests; Layoffs Planned

CBS Boston

June 20, 2024

BOSTON - Emerson College in Boston said in a message to staff that student protests are one of the reasons why freshman enrollment this fall is "significantly below" projections. Now the school is planning budget cuts and may reduce faculty positions as a result of the decline.

"We attribute this reduction to multiple factors, including national enrollment trends away from smaller private institutions, an enrollment deposit delay in response to the new FAFSA rollout, student protests targeting our yield events and campus tours, and negative press and social media generated from the demonstrations and arrests," Emerson College president Jay Bernhardt and other administrators said in the letter.

Emerson was one of several Boston-area colleges that saw pro-Palestinian protests inspired by student protesters at Columbia University. Protesters set up tents in a public alley next to Boylston Street in April. They said they wouldn't leave until Emerson called for a ceasefire in Gaza and divested from companies and institutions doing business with Israel

Pro-Palestinian students set up camp in Boylston Place/CBS Boston

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