Nowhere is the virus’s impact more apparent than in how it is shaping the future of testing. The pandemic is no longer a crisis to be managed in the short term, but rather an opportunity to reform the way colleges handle admissions in the long run. That’s still the case, but now the virus has a big say, too, and will continue to have a say well beyond this year. But the pandemic is widening that gap as regional public colleges and less-selective institutions struggle to attract applicants, leading to a vicious circle of falling revenue, tightening financial-aid budgets, and cuts in programs and the faculty.Įven before the virus hit, the cornerstones of admissions - early decision, testing, deposit deadlines, wait lists - were constantly shifting based on a college’s priorities. Selective, elite colleges typically set the rules of engagement because they’re rich and inundated with applicants colleges with fewer resources that educate the vast majority of undergraduates follow along where they can. “Some traditions and routines will survive, but they all won’t.”Īdmissions is a game with complex rules. It’s hard to make sense of it all,” said Charles Deacon, dean of admissions at Georgetown University since 1972.

“We all have disparate pieces of information right now. Admissions officials have been left trying to untangle cause and effect. But the pandemic reshaped almost every dimension of admissions - and did so all at once. That way you know - or at least can guess - which lever you pulled had caused which shift in your enrollment model.

The rule in admissions is that if you alter how you recruit or admit or enroll students - whatever you do - do so gradually. By the fall, as high schools across America opened virtually, admissions officers accustomed to being on the road recruiting students started to map out a new enrollment playbook.Īdmissions is often described as a mix of art and science, and in recent years the rise of “big data” has tipped the balance toward science. Then as summer arrived, and the College Board and ACT struggled to offer enough testing sites, something happened that ensured this year would be different: Some 600 colleges, including nearly every selective institution, announced they wouldn’t require test scores for the high-school Class of 2021. How Much Has Covid Cost Colleges? $183 Billion.What We’ve Lost in a Year of Virtual Teaching.‘Zoom Fatigue,’ Gratitude, and Purring Cats: A Peek at Life During the Pandemic.24 Hours in Higher Ed, One Year Into the Pandemic.Ever since, we’ve been asking two questions: How will the pandemic change higher education? And how many of those changes will stick? Read on. Fifty-two weeks ago, campuses closed and higher education as we’ve known it came to a halt.

Jeffrey selingo who gets in and why