I fell in love with Tufts University as soon as I stepped on the campus right outside of Boston. I knew that financial aid was a huge concern, but I decided to take the chance and apply, hoping that the finances would work themselves out.
On the day decisions were due, I refreshed my inbox on my phone all day, nerves building as the hours went by. Finally, at 7 p.m., I saw the email I’d been waiting for. After a deep breath, I opened the link.
I started screaming. I got in! But it was not to be.
For many students, getting accepted to their dream school is the finish line. For me, it was only another race, figuring out whether I could actually afford to attend. The full cost to my family would approach $100,000 annually, including housing and food plans.
The university’s website notes that Tufts meets 100 percent of all demonstrated need, so I was hopeful. Yet my financial aid notification, which arrived a few weeks after the acceptance, stated that I did not qualify for need-based assistance and would have to pay close to the full amount. My heart sank.
My story is not unique. The college application process puts many families in limbo when they are not wealthy enough to comfortably pay full tuition, but also do not qualify for sufficient financial aid. A recent poll said just 12 percent of Americans believe four-year colleges are affordable.
My parents are both not-for-profit professionals with graduate degrees. Along with their full-time jobs, they both work additional jobs. The funds they have saved through investments like New York’s 529 state-sponsored savings plans to cover my undergraduate education (along with my two younger brothers’) are nowhere near the amounts that Tufts expects us to contribute.
In September, 2025, Tufts announced that U.S. students whose families earn less than $150,000 a year are eligible for grants that cover the full cost of tuition, beginning this fall. This might sound promising, but it won’t help all the families who make more but still can’t afford the full cost without substantial aid or loans.
The school’s website does have information on different kinds of aid, along with a financial aid calculator for prospective students. When my family filled it out, the calculator said we could expect aid that would lower the net price of tuition to around $60,000 or so, making Tufts a possible option.
After I got in, my parents and I formally requested a reevaluation of my financial aid award. A number of calls and emails followed. The final package Tufts offered included a $3,500 loan and an estimated $2,500 in potential earnings from work-study wages, if I took a job on campus.
I would still be responsible for coming up with $94,536 dollars a year.
(Editor’s note: Officials in the financial aid office at Tufts University said that while it cannot comment on aid offered to individual students, its net price calculator is designed to give families a reasonable estimate of their potential financial aid eligibility, based on the information they provide. After a prospective student applies for aid, Tufts also reviews information reported on the FAFSA and CSS Profile, along with required supporting documentation. If the information provided through the calculator differs from what is ultimately verified through the formal financial aid process, the student’s financial aid eligibility and award may change accordingly.)
Attending my dream school would leave me with about $270,000 debt (I calculated this by the using the amount Tufts said I would have to pay minus what a state school would charge to get the amount I would have to borrow over the course of four years). That was not an option. I will likely need loans for law or graduate school, and I do not want to begin adulthood carrying overwhelming undergraduate debt.
Fortunately, I had been accepted by several other universities. After comparing finances, I will enroll at Binghamton University in New York next fall, after a gap year studying in Israel. As a resident of New York state, I will have annual estimated costs of roughly $32,000 a year, less than a third of the cost of Tufts.
Related: If higher education wants to rebuilt public trust, start by making college affordable
My parents and I decided together that this school would be the best fit for me for several reasons, but finances specifically. My parents strongly believe that it is not worth putting myself into debt for an undergraduate degree.
Giving up Tufts meant missing out on an elite school with a more competitive reputation and global connections, but I know that I will be successful at Binghamton. I plan to study political science, and hope to graduate with a degree and career opportunities, debt-free.
I am excited about my future at Binghamton, and I know I will receive an excellent education. However, I should not have had to choose between my dream school and my financial future. No student should.
If we truly believe that higher education is a pathway to opportunity, then affordability cannot be treated as an afterthought. Students should be able to choose colleges based on where they will learn, grow and succeed — not simply on which option will leave them with the least debt.
Shir Levenson plans to enroll at SUNY Binghamton in New York in the fall of 2027.
This story about college costs was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s weekly newsletter.
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