The report comes from Michael Brown, Director of Communications at LendEDU, and it assesses how students are reviewing their options in light of the COVID-19 scenario.
The main findings from the report include the fact that amongst current high school seniors that have already committed and sent a deposit to a college, 30% said they would consider not enrolling or try deferring their admission if all learning stays online for the Fall 2020 semester.
Furthermore, in relation to current high school seniors who have not yet committed to any college, 43 percent are considering a gap year, 41 percent are considering an online college, and 37 percent are considering a community college for the Fall 2020 semester.
It also stands that with current college students from the class of 2021 or later, 40 percent are considering transferring to a more affordable college or one closer to home, 34 percent are considering dropping out and taking time off, 28 percent are considering dropping out and enrolling in online college, and 26% are considering dropping out and enrolling in community college for the Fall 2020 semester.
The key reasons for this are with the COVID-19 situation and the measures that higher education will need to adopt. With this, 52 percent of college students believe the coronavirus and its impacts will extend the time they originally thought it would take them to graduate from college. It also follows that with current high school seniors that have already committed to a college, 56% said the pandemic impacted their final decision for one of the reasons listed in the full report.
The data found in this report emphasizes the devastating blow that the pandemic is going to deliver to higher education as online college and other more affordable options become more attractive.
