Remote instruction in K-12 schools during the COVID-19 pandemic led to fewer students enrolling in college, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, K-12 Dive reported.
The study examined 14,005 public high schools from the 2015-16 to 2021-22 school years, using data from the COVID School Data Hub, college enrollment, FAFSA submissions, ACT test taking and school demographics.
According to the study, first-year college enrollment fell 2.5% after the 2020-2021 school year, and applications to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid declined 4.2%. ACT test-taking declined by 4.8%.
Researchers said reduced interaction with school counselors and teachers may have “weakened students’ expectations that college was feasible or worthwhile,” and that remote instruction provided less support for students completing FAFSA applications or other college admissions tests.
The negative impact on college enrollment was also “more than three times larger in higher-poverty schools,” according to the study, which examined schools with a higher proportion of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. “This pattern suggests that school-based guidance and reminders are especially important for disadvantaged students, who may be disproportionately first-generation college students and have fewer alternative sources of information and support outside school.”
FAFSA completion rates among low-income students declined disproportionately after the onset of the pandemic but have mostly recovered since, according to the think tank Century Foundation. Middle-income students still show lower FAFSA completion rates than before the pandemic. Both the SAT and ACT continue to see lower rates of test-taking compared to before the pandemic.