Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.74
Liaison Jennifer Lamy
Submission Date March 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Emerson College
PA-7: Affordability and Access

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.91 / 4.00 Sylvia Spears
Vice President for the Social Justice Center
Social Justice Center
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have policies and programs to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
Yes

A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:

The College’s goal is to meet the financial need of accepted students. The College offers a combination of merit and need based aid.


A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:

Emerson College is committed to a living, learning, and working environment where all members of our community are valued and respected. We believe inclusive and academic excellence are not possible without full engagement with diversity across all areas of the College. This page contains information and details related to steps the College has taken in our commitment to diversity and inclusion.


A brief description of the institution’s programs to guide and prepare students and families from low-income backgrounds for higher education:

EmersonWRITES and EmersonTHEATRE provide free creative programs with college access information to Boston-area high school students largely from low-income and historically underrepresented backgrounds.
Emerson Financial Aid staff provide workshops through area nonprofits to local low-income students about accessing and paying for college.
Students from historically underrepresented groups, including students of color, first-generation college-goers, and students from low-income backgrounds, are proactively recruited for Emerson's first-year experience classes which aims to help students transition successfully to the College.


A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:

Emerson offers several full-tuition scholarships for low-income students from the Boston area and select schools in Los Angeles and Miami.


A brief description of the institution’s targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:

Emerson actively recruits Boston-area high school students from low-income and historically underrepresented backgrounds to our undergraduate program through our EmersonWRITES and EmersonTHEATRE programs. In addition, Emerson provides a program for admitted students who might not have the financial means to visit with an opportunity to experience Emerson first-hand with all expenses covered.


A brief description of the institution’s other policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:

Emerson's Student Assistance Fund helps financially eligible students with the costs of indirect costs of attendance such as books, supplies, transit, and food.
Emerson's Food Pantry offers free non-perishable food items to students experiencing food insecurity.


Does the institution have policies and programs to support non-traditional students?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
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A brief description of the institution’s on-site child care facility, partnership with a local facility, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:
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A brief description of the institution’s other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:

The Office of Student Success offers one-on-one support sessions and has a dedicated point person for Veteran students. The College also runs an orientation program for transfer students who join the community mid-year.
The Office of Student Success offers events and individual support for nontraditional students.


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (tracking accessibility and affordability)? (If data is not available, select 'No'):
Yes

The percentage of entering students that are low-income (0-100):
15

The graduation/success rate for low-income students (0-100):
78

On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100):
61

The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt or for whom no out-of-pocket tuition is required (i.e. the percentage of graduates who have not taken out interest-bearing loans) (0-100):
37

Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100):
10

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Answer for "On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100)": For new-first time degree-seeking students, the answer is 61%. If we include transfer students, then the answer is 50%.

Answer for "Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100)": 10% low-income and non-traditional students, not including students of color, first generation college-goers, etc.


Answer for "On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100)": For new-first time degree-seeking students, the answer is 61%. If we include transfer students, then the answer is 50%.

Answer for "Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100)": 10% low-income and non-traditional students, not including students of color, first generation college-goers, etc.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.