Don’t shed a tear for schools like Emerson College, Harvard University and other elite institutions seeing applications drop: they did it to themselves.

Harvard received 54,008 applicants for the class of 2028, down 5% from the year before, it was reported. It’s the fewest applications to the world-famous institution since 2020, the start of the pandemic.

Emerson College is facing staff and possible faculty cuts after an enrollment drop. As the Herald reported, President Jay Bernhardt stated in an internal email that “negative” messaging from pro-Palestine protestors and hiccups in the FAFSA process this year contributed to the decline.

Bernhardt pointed out “student protests targeting our yield events and campus tours, and negative press and social media generated from the demonstrations and arrests.”

Media covered the arrests of students cited for illegal encampment. As the old Herald slogan put it, “if you want it sugarcoated, buy a doughnut.”

Bernhardt said the enrollment decline is expected to be “a one-year phenomenon.” We’re not so sure. Chaotic anti-Israel protests and the harassment of Jewish students at posh universities sent a clear message: here you can major in antisemitism and minor in entitlement.

What parent wants to send their child to a college that does nothing to encourage critical thinking, and where students have their need for “solidarity” co-opted by political agendas?

An April exchange by two Columbia University students who rushed to join NYU’s violent anti-Israel rally went viral after they admitted they didn’t know what the protest was about.

“I wish I was more educated,” said one.

That should be the point of going to college, to become more educated. Institutions long hailed as top-tier dropped the ball, as well as their appeal to parents and high school kids. Is a college degree from a renowned school worth it if employers are repulsed by the actions at interviewee’s alma mater?

Their loss is others’ gain: as Fox News reported, prospective students are increasingly opting for colleges like Elon in North Carolina, Clemson in South Carolina and the University of Miami in Florida over elite Northeastern schools.

In addition to rampant antisemitism on campus, other parents and students cited COVID-era lockdown policies as the reason they started to more seriously consider Southern schools.

A Bloomberg report points out more affordable tuition rates, a robust sports culture, and campuses with less political tension. Students can still get the “college experience” and sense of campus community without having to chant for the demise of Israel.

What should top Northeast schools have to do to drive up applications? For one, take action against antisemitic demonstrations and harassment on campus, which too many are loathe to do. Stop pandering to progressive agendas, again, something anathema to school leaders and faculty. And make every effort to guide students into majors and areas of study that will actually make them employable. Fat chance.

We’re seeing a shift already in how a college education is viewed: many find the expense not worth it, or choose a lucrative trade instead. In progressive circles, this is called empowerment. Surely the elites can get behind that.

Editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley (Creators Syndicate)