Following a spring of campus protests and a botched rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), many colleges are bracing for a significant drop in enrollment, the Washington Examiner reported on Thursday.
Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt announced Tuesday that the school will begin layoffs due to a large drop in enrollment caused in part by "negative press and social media" about the school's response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
"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," Bernhardt's email said.
Massive protests this spring had paralyzed dozens of college campuses, disrupting graduation ceremonies and final exams. Since April 18 more than 3,000 people have been arrested on 50 college and university campuses across 26 states.
More than 400 colleges have had some form of demonstration on campus and many have seen a spike in anti-Jewish rhetoric.
One of the schools being investigated for antisemitism by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce was the University of Michigan.
The outlet noted that only 41% of Michigan's graduating high schoolers have completed the FAFSA in 2024 compared with 48% last year, the equivalent of about 7,400 students.
"Many colleges are financially on the edge," Adam Kissel, visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Center for Education Policy, told the outlet. "Jolts like the FAFSA fiasco and bad handling of campus conflicts will send these colleges out of business more quickly."
While Kissel said protests and the FAFSA issues certainly will contribute to a drop in enrollment, he also noted cultural shifts as playing a part.
Many young people do not view an expensive college education the same way their parents did.
The Wall Street Journal noted last week that many Gen Z'ers have made blue collar jobs cool again thanks to massive social media followings and zero college debt.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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