New National Survey Reveals We May Have Left One-Third of the High School Graduates of 2021 Behind

Schools were closed for more than a year. Students faced tough physical, mental, and emotional turmoil一all while the entire education system was altered faster than it has ever been before.  

As we approach a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic, Cirkled In couldn’t help but ask: How did confusion, panic, and unprecedented disruption impact the 2021 college admissions process? As the answers trickled in, the responses were shocking. 

At Cirkled In, our focus is on students and, in particular, on their college and career readiness. After eighteen months of following students’ journeys through the pandemic, we were interested in how high school seniors fared in the 2021 college admissions process; and more than 1,400 told us. 

In our newest report released today, we surveyed those soon-to-be graduates to understand what impact COVID-19 had on college admissions, the fairness of test-optional, and more.

KEY FINDINGS

• More than half respondents did not submit SAT/ACT and one-third did not think SAT/ACTs were really optional

• Almost 73% of students believe that applicants who had SAT/ACT scores had an advantage over those who did not.

• One-third did not think the college application process was fair or easy 

• One-third of students did not feel they had adequate help applying to colleges due to COVID-19

• About 30% of students have financial impediments to pursue their higher education due to the pandemic 

Put to the test: More than half respondents did not submit SAT/ACT and one-third did not think SAT/ACTs were really optional

Countless colleges and universities went test-optional for the 2021 admissions cycle, providing students the opportunity to skip the outdated testing process. 

Our survey found that while half of students did not submit SAT/ACT scores with their application, one-third did not believe that submitting scores was really optional. One-third of students even said that although colleges said it wouldn’t impact their decisions, admissions officers did in fact use scores as criteria for admission. 

This begs the question: Could, and did, colleges really ignore test scores in their decision? If there were 5-10 percent of students submitting the scores, the pendulum would have gone in the direction of holistic review. However, now over one third of the students of class of 2021 are wondering what their future would have been if they had taken the test.

“I feel discouraged. Colleges preached about how SAT/ACT scores were optional and no weight would be placed on them but they did. Applications were up across the board because of test optional policies, which made it much more difficult to get into schools that would’ve been a guarantee prior to COVID.”

The haves and have-nots: Almost 73% of students believe that applicants who had SAT/ACT scores had an advantage over those who did not.

Continuing with the standardized testing questions, we asked students about fairness when submitting test scores. Almost three-fourths of respondents said that students' access to testing had an advantage over those who did not. 

Students were not only lacking scores but also lacking the activities that would have bolstered their application. With pretty much every place shut down, many students even struggled to get letters from previous coaches or teachers. So students without SAT/ACT scores had no “filler” and were at disadvantage. 

This begs the question: Should colleges and universities even have been allowed to consider SAT/ACT scores when it was so difficult for students to access the test? Should they have gone test-blind, instead of test-optional?

“In regards to whether or not a school is test-optional, I still felt that I needed to submit SAT and/or ACT scores to colleges and thought that I would have a lower chance of getting accepted if I didn’t submit them.”

Colleges will have to rebuild trust: One-third of those surveyed did not think the college application process was fair or easy 

For 2022 admissions, colleges will have to find ways to rebuild trust between them and students. An alarming number一one-third of seniors surveyed一say that the application process was not fair or easy. 

While half of respondents said that they thought the process was fair and easy, the consequences for losing one-third to mistrust is unacceptable. Colleges, universities, and the government, such as the Department of Education, must work together to get these students into higher education and repair the damage to their lives caused not only by COVID-19, but by our century old unfair systems that were not built to aid historically marginalized communities. 

“Overall the college admissions process is very unpredictable. The process is very tedious, time consuming, and overall just confusing. Many students get help from their parents and college advisors, whereas a lot of students don’t receive any help, leaving them at a disadvantage. This makes the college application process very unfair. Because of this, students who have stronger applications and more help throughout the process are usually held at an advantage by getting accepted to the top and receiving more aid, leaving other students behind.”

They needed more support: One-third of students did not feel they had adequate help applying to colleges due to COVID-19

School counselors, teachers, and other support systems are integral for students applying for college. Lack of in-person support, tours, and opportunities, left students feeling disconnected and disassociated from the process. However, we recognize that because of COVID-19 rules and requirements, this factor was out of control for many education institutions and students.

Students acknowledged that most colleges shifted to virtual tours and events very quickly and provided information that students needed. Some colleges even waived application fees and even made applications shorter.  

“The pandemic caused me and other seniors and juniors to miss college seminars/info sessions/college assemblies/in person help at their high schools with the process. This was very challenging because I didn't even know what questions to ask, for example I didn't know colleges had multiple campuses within the college, and it wasn't just one big building like high schools have.”

Show them the money: About 30% of students have financial impediments to pursue their higher education due to the pandemic. 

Based on our March 2020 survey and the vast economic impacts of the pandemic, it’s not shocking that a large portion of students experienced some type of financial impediments while pursuing higher education. A silver-lining, however, is that in spring 2021, the percent of students dropped from almost 70 percent to less than 30 percent. 

The question remains: How will the Department of Education and Congress help students, regardless of age and income level, return to higher education? Vaccines cannot, and will not, solve the immense financial stress the nation was under for over a year. As our survey details, over one-third of students have been left behind in some way, particularly during this college admissions season. This is unacceptable. 

Cirkled In will continue to advocate for affordable and accessible education for all.

“I think this year was chaotic enough to reduce my budget to a point I started to consider the option of community college at the beginning of my career as an inventor, even though that might be a longer route, and my goal was to study at MIT.”

Final thoughts: Did the pandemic leave behind an entire generation of students? 

Only the data can tell how this vicious, unfair, and seemingly never-ending pandemic has impacted the state of higher education, and to be frank, education as a whole. Based on our surveys, countless conversations with higher education professionals, and personal experiences with students applying for college, we fear the worst: the possibility that the limitations brought by COVID-19 left the next great minds behind.

We cannot tell the future, only decipher the past and learn from it. As we wait to learn more about the true impacts of the pandemic, Cirkled In will continue to advocate for affordable and accessible education for all.

Survey Information:

Survey was sent to high school students, mostly seniors. Ninety Four percent of these were high school seniors and the rest 6% were 9th - 11th grade students. 

Students surveyed were from all states in the United States. California students were the highest responders with 22.3% followed by Texas at 18.5%.

For more information on the survey and how it was conducted, view the final report here.