COVID-19 IS MAKING STUDENTS RETHINK THEIR COLLEGE PLANS

Panic and unprecedented disruption by the  COVID-19 pandemic has not only stressed the US healthcare system beyond any imaginable limits, it has also brought this nation to its economic knees. The bears are running wild on Wall Street, joblessness is incalculable, and the education system has ground to a halt as surgical-masked Americans wonder what the post-pandemic implications will be for them both near term and for years to come.

At Cirkled In, our focus is on students and in particular on their college and career readiness. We wondered about their thoughts as they sit at home pondering their educational future. High school is like a rite of passage and a big life event for American High school seniors. COVID-19 has not only taken that away from them but is also significantly impacting their higher education plans and direction of their life.

In our newest report released today, we surveyed those students to understand what impact COVID-19 is having on our young adults and their hopes and dreams of going off to college.

KEY FINDINGS

• 22% OF STUDENTS ARE RETHINKING THEIR PLANS FOR COLLEGE.

• 69% OF STUDENTS FORESEE COVID-19 IMPACTING THEIR HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCIAL SITUATION

• MORE THAN 25% OF STUDENTS THINK COVID-19 WILL IMPACT THEIR COLLEGE LOCATION DECISION

Tough decisions: Almost one-fourth of students are rethinking their overall plan for higher education

Of course, COVID-19 is disruption for millions of families in the United States. Families are adapting to a “New Normal” and this pandemic is something completely unplanned and unprecedented. Considering that, it’s not surprising that 22% students surveyed are rethinking their plans for higher education. The good news is that 79% of students are not looking to change their plans at this point. Since the majority of our respondents were high schools’ seniors, these results apply to fall 2020 college admissions cycle. But changes for the remaining 22% are going to be dramatic, to the extent that some students are dropping the idea of college altogether.

The uncertainty of COVID-19 is still causing a lot of confusion and indecisiveness among high school students.

“There is a much larger chance that I will not be attending college altogether. My financial situation doesn't allow it, unless I receive 28,000$ more in scholarships.”

Money matters: Most students are worried about financial capabilities for higher education

With young adults and their parents losing their jobs, plummeting 529 plans and 401K plans during the pandemic, financial stability is in question for many. Collectively, 69 percent of students are expecting to “definitely” or “more than likely” to expect a change in their financial situation.

“Having the coronavirus has really hurt my family,” said a respondent. “My family owns a small business and has been hit hard with the virus. I was going to attend Belmont in Nashville; however, I now will probably have to attend a state school instead. This is frustrating especially since I recently put my deposit down and found a roommate at Belmont.”

Money is not only a factor now, but later. We are looking at an increase in the already mounting student loan debt.

Location, location, location: Students are reconsidering where their college is located

More than one-fourth of respondents say that COVID-19 has made them rethink their ideal college location. While almost three-fourths of students are sticking to their original plan, the remaining are considering other options due to their ever changing financial situation and family dynamics.

If anything, this social distancing has brought families closer. Many students are thinking about staying close to home, going to in-state colleges or even community college so they can be closer to the family if something like COVID-19 were to happen again.

“I definitely think that the Coronavirus Pandemic has made me want a college close to home even more, as I would like to be close to my family in the event of a similar occurrence,” expressed one student.

OTHER FINDINGS:

We may see more students gravitating to healthcare or other careers

Only 13% of those surveyed shared that they are reconsidering their major as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Events such as 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic can sometimes trigger an affinity to certain careers like medical, first responder, even educator. 

Students still prefer traditional in- person classes.

This survey has some eye-opening data when it comes to high school students’ preference for online vs. in-person classes. In this online world where students spend on average 3.5 hours per day online (as per another report), it was surprising to see that whopping 63% students preferred traditional classes and 33% preferred some sort of hybrid classes.

Communication is key: How colleges can reach students during crisis

Whether they’re on campus or waiting out the pandemic at home, colleges still need to be able to communicate with their intended audience. Luckily, COVID-19 hasn’t changed how students prefer to receive information. As a part of the “digitally native” generation, an overwhelming amount of students preferred to receive information via email or text.

FINALLY, HEALTH OF OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM: ARE WE READY?

COVID-19 tested to the limits the technical capabilities of our K-12 school systems. In 2020, how many schools can actually hold online classes if needed? Surprisingly more than one-third of schools in the United States did not or could not hold online classes for weeks when the whole country’s school system was in lock down. 

Another interesting finding emerged – students think that college admissions processes are not impacted by COVID and colleges will still require/ demand everything they have done in the past. Whereas in our survey and interviews with colleges, they are as concerned about their freshman class as students themselves (Read about that survey report  on our website). We think colleges can do a better job of communicating with their prospects and putting them at ease. “We are all in this together and we’ll figure it out” should be the message.

There is a lot of uncertainty even now as things change by the hour. We think that as things evolve related to COVID, students’ responses will also change. We wish that Class of 2020 gets to have a normal college experience as dreamed of by many high school seniors. As one respondent said,

“I just hope I can go to college and have a normal college experience. This means in person classes, on campus housing, and on campus resources/organizations. I just want a normal college experience since I’ve already missed out on a normal high school experience.”

Survey Information:

Survey was sent to high school students. 86% of these were high school seniors and 13% are high school juniors. The remainder are sophomore and freshman.

Students surveyed were from all states in the United States. CA students were the highest respondents with 19% followed by FL at almost 10%.

To read and download the full report, visit the Cirkled In page. We will update this report as more survey responses keep coming.

Also look for our report on a survey of college admissions officers on the impact of CVID-19 on their outlook (coming soon).