Published by USA Today
Amid economic uncertainty and stunning job losses, some colleges are likely to welcome students of varying qualifications no matter when they decide to commit. Which means it will take months for colleges to know who their students will be, and whether the schools will be able to make ends meet on the tuition revenue they'll get.
In fact, some colleges may not know for certain until they see who shows up on campus or logs on for their first online class.
…
In another survey, which was administered last week, 40% of prospective students had yet to submit a deposit to any college. That’s significantly larger than expected at this time of year, said Craig Goebel, a principal the Art & Science Group, a higher education consulting firm, which surveyed 1,171 students.
Plus, about 12% of those who had put down a deposit, telling colleges "yes," had said they had since changed their mind about attending a four-year college.
A major reason for students' uncertainty about college: About half say their family members' employment status changed as a result of the pandemic, according to the Arts & Science Group's survey. (A recently released NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll also found that 50% of Americans had personally been financially impacted by the coronavirus.)
…