Over the last six months, the Daily has collected evidence of concerns among the Tufts student body and faculty regarding financial aid. These concerns include continuous midyear cuts, sudden decreases in financial aid packages, a lack of communication between students and administrators and difficulties in the appeal process.
This investigation expands upon a previous article detailing the experiences of Emma Do, a Tufts student who was forced to return home after the entirety of her aid was withdrawn without notice in July 2024. Multiple students have since come forward with similar allegations of sudden funding cuts and reductions despite the critical need for aid.
Tufts’ strict eight-semester academic residency requirement makes it difficult for students to graduate early, increasing the financial burden on those who rely on aid. At the same time, difficulties with the Tufts Financial Aid Office — often occurring alongside family hardships — have placed additional strain on these students.
These concerns come as the university begins to implement its new Tufts Tuition Pact initiative, which will make tuition free for families making under $150,000 per year with typical assets. While both the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Financial Aid Office have stated the pact will not increase the tuition of students whose household income is above the threshold, some feel that their needs are being ignored at the expense of the initiative.
Jena Thorne, a senior, had previously taken a two-semester leave for health-related issues. Her family, living in Oakland, Calif., relied on financial aid to make attending the university feasible. Even with the family’s increase in income over this period, rising medical bills during Thorne’s two medical leaves increased financial strain.
However, Thorne said that her aid has continuously been reduced throughout her time at Tufts, hitting zero this fall. Additionally, the Financial Aid Office rejected Thorne’s appeal for financial aid.
“Every year since, I’ve been getting less and less financial aid, which I think is partly due to [the fact that] my family has also had increased income, but not really substantially,” Thorne said. “This past year, they gave me no financial aid at all.”
Thorne decided not to transfer from Tufts despite these issues. Although she had already claimed enough credits elsewhere to graduate early, she was not approved for early graduation.
“This past year, we appealed over the summer, and they rejected it. The other piece that’s also hard to swallow is [that] I’ve been in this battle [over] the residency requirement,” Thorne said. “That is a losing battle that I’ve accepted … but it particularly hurts now that I’m denied all of my financial aid.”
Thorne criticized the Financial Aid Office for the manner in which it announced aid cuts.
“What feels predatory about it is [that] this is happening [during] my senior year, and if they had cut my financial aid [earlier], I would have probably transferred for more agency in changing my situation. Paying the tuition is financially — just objectively — a very irresponsible, poor decision for my family,” Thorne said. “I feel completely trapped because I’m a senior — I’m stuck here.”
M.G. Beastrom, a senior, has also experienced multiple major cuts to her aid over her four years at Tufts. Beastrom, who self-funds her education, came to Tufts under the impression that her cost of attendance would be completely covered. However, according to Beastrom, she received multiple unexpected charges on her account that would have made it significantly challenging for her to pay.
Beastrom successfully appealed these extra charges. While holistic aid calculations and additional charges have separate appeal processes, Beastrom said that each time she received sparse and bureaucratic responses from the university.
“I just think it’s ridiculous that you have to get to that point in order to receive the aid in the first place,” she said.
By working off-campus jobs, living on campus through the Greek life organization Alpha Tau Omega and consistently appealing, Beastrom is financially able to finish her education at Tufts. Nevertheless, she lamented how difficult it was to appeal each unexplained charge.
“I just can’t believe how harrowing the process [of appealing] was every single time,” she said.
Given the difficulties she had communicating with the Financial Aid Office, Beastrom expressed frustration that despite the Tufts Tuition Pact, the financial aid application process is largely the same.
“They’re not changing the process,” she said. “It’s still humiliating.”
According to Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations, the university “prioritize[s] meeting the full demonstrated need of our students, ensuring that those who require financial assistance receive the support necessary to attend.”
Beastrom questioned the university’s commitment.
“What they say [is] ‘we meet 100% of demonstrated need.’ But they decide what ‘demonstrated’ is,” she said. “I would appreciate, as someone who receives financial aid, some kind of clarity on how they’re making the decisions.”
In 2022, Michel Darling started their undergraduate education at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. They received a financial aid package that covered a large portion of the cost of attendance. Their parents — who immigrated to the United States from Ukraine — had their own financial burdens. As a result, Darling funded their education entirely on their own.
According to Darling, their financial aid package was cut in half two years into their degree. Darling was unable to pay the remaining amount of money, having already taken out loans for fees and living expenses. They went through the regular process of appeals but were denied. According to Darling, the financial aid counselor they spoke to claimed that they were “so sorry to hear that” but that their “hands [were] tied.”
Similarly to Do, Darling was eventually forced to leave Tufts before the fall of 2024. They completed two years of college and poured thousands of dollars into their education only to be left with no degree and a financial burden even greater than the one they originally carried.
Darling assumes their aid was cut because they were no longer eligible for a sibling enrollment reduction. Their sister graduated from college, and while she went on to pursue a master’s program, the Tufts Financial Services website states that “graduate students are not included in the number [of siblings] in college calculation for institutional aid purposes.” Consequently, Darling was no longer eligible for the sibling enrollment reduction.
“I think what had happened was [that] my sister graduated … and entered a master’s program,” they said. “When that happened … [the FAFSA system assumed,] ‘Oh, well, this family is only paying for one student’s college, so then they can contribute more to only one dependent instead of two.’”
However, that was not the reality of Darling’s situation, and they were ultimately forced to take on the increased financial burden despite not receiving any financial contributions from their parents.
A solution to this issue could be claiming dependency; however, the process for granting dependency overrides requires students to provide documented proof of special circumstances, such as abuse, abandonment or the institutionalization or incarceration of both parents. This puts students like Darling, who do not fall under these circumstances, in a difficult financial situation.
Consisting of both Tufts professors and student representatives, the Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Committee holds sessions with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Financial Aid Office to discuss university policy.
Aung Paing, an international student from Myanmar, is one of the student representatives on UAFAC. Paing joined the committee with the intention of helping other international students navigate the financial aid process.
According to Paing, UAFAC’s purpose is to discuss potential issues with both the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Financial Aid Office for the upcoming academic year. However, Paing noted his surprise at a lack of activity from UAFAC.
“When I first applied, to be frank and to be honest, I [thought] it would be more active than this,” he said.
Paing explained that the committee, to his knowledge, only meets once at the beginning and once at the end of each semester.
Within the committee, there appears to be a lack of knowledge around the issue of students having their financial aid removed.
“I’m not aware of [the issues],” Professor Natasha Warikoo, one of the faculty representatives on UAFAC, said. “Which is to say that I don’t think it’s come up on our committee.”
Cristian Staii, the faculty chair of UAFAC, did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
A faculty member at Tufts — who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation — told the Daily that while UAFAC can raise issues relating to aid, ultimate decisions on aid policy are made by J.T. Duck, the dean of admissions, and Meaghan Hardy Smith, associate dean of financial aid.
The faculty member added that they believe that many of the aid reductions may result from lower funds, affecting both aid and research funding.
While UAFAC does not set financial aid policy, Paing expressed concerns that committee members may not be hearing concerns from students facing issues with financial aid. Ultimately, when students are faced with issues regarding their financial aid package, they can only turn to the appeals process.
Universities’ financial aid process can leave many students confused and frustrated. Tufts is no exception. Another anonymous faculty member familiar with Tufts’ financial aid process confirmed that even for experts within the system, the details can be overwhelming.
“At all colleges, [financial aid] is famously a bit of a mysterious process, and not everybody has eyes on it,” an administrator, who was granted anonymity out of fear of retaliation, said. “The problem for Tufts [is that] it’s a highly-selective school, and it’s a school that commits to meeting the full financial need of all accepted students.”
Currently, the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering have a need-aware admissions policy, meaning that Tufts considers financial need as a factor during the admissions process in an effort to meet the financial needs of all students. This system differs from ‘need-blind’ admissions, in which financial aid is not taken into account during the application process and is usually offered afterward.
“When you’re applying, if you have financial need, they’re looking at your need in making the decision, and they’re distributing their aid accordingly,” the administrator said.
In comparison with peer institutions, Tufts stands out in its admissions policy of taking need into account. Other Boston-area universities, such as Boston College and Harvard University, for example, have need-blind admissions policies.
“I’m sure it’s a goal of Tufts [to be need-blind], but we just don’t have the funding, the endowment, the money,” the administrator said.
The Tufts Community Union Tuition Transparency Town Hall held on Feb. 10 further confirmed the university’s current inability to offer aid to all prospective students.
“We spend a lot of time fundraising and whenever we meet with a donor … they ask us, ‘what do you need money for?’ [and] the number one response is financial aid,” Bárbara Brizuela, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, said during the town hall.
According to Brizuela, the primary funding for the Tufts Tuition Pact comes from donations as deans seek potential donors to encourage their support of the pact.
The anonymous administrator noted that the pact raises concerns about how the demographic makeup of Tufts students may shift.
“It’s great PR to be saying that,” they said. “Actually, that does nothing. They’re still making admissions decisions based on need.”
In all, the central question lies in Tufts’ capacity to support its student body and help navigate the complexities of the financial aid process.
“We think about [students and their experiences] every day, and there’s a lot of things we want to invest in … to provide you all with the best experience and the best support systems,” Brizuela said.
According to Collins, unlike other institutions, Tufts calculates aid yearly. The Bursar’s Office uses a calculator based on government-verified data like that provided by the FAFSA. Additionally, the Financial Services website provides information on the aid calculation process, and a brochure outlining it is sent to all applicable families with students entering Tufts.
Despite the provided information, students are still confused by aid calculations. Appeals are also limited to one per year unless a parent loses their job. Furthermore, aid decisions are made without initial warning before students can appeal.
In reference to students’ concerns with the residency requirement, Collins stated that the requirement “is independent of financial aid.”
“The university strives to make a Tufts education possible for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds,” Collins wrote. “Tufts is committed to supplementing financial aid with programmatic assistance that helps students succeed. … Our financial aid policies remain focused on maintaining access for students across all income levels and providing aid that reflects each family’s unique financial situation.”
Despite Tufts’ commitment to meeting the financial needs of students, the university has consistently failed to communicate changes in funding, many of which do not reflect the lived experience of those who need it.
