Gallup, Lumina Foundation Release Fall 2020 State of the Student Experience Study
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PRN | 1 day ago
WASHINGTON: COVID-19 has created significant challenges for higher education.
A new report by Lumina Foundation and Gallup surveyed 2,064 students currently pursuing their associate degree and 3,941 pursuing their bachelor's degree to understand how COVID-19 has affected their student experience.
Most students pursuing their associate (72%) or bachelor's degree (76%) rate the quality of their education as excellent or very good. First-time students in the fall of 2020 are more positive about the quality of their education than returning students. Similarly, wellbeing and student experiences are rated lower among returning students who transitioned from fully or mostly in-person instruction to fully online instruction in the fall of 2020.
About half of associate and bachelor's degree students report that COVID-19 is very likely or likely to impact their ability to complete their degree. Underrepresented students are more likely to report the pandemic will negatively impact their ability to continue and are least likely to report knowing about critical services — including mental health services — offered at their school to combat COVID-19's impact. A majority of Black and Hispanic students (56%) say COVID-19 is very likely or likely to impact their ability to complete their degree, compared with 44% of White students.
This new report offers important student perspectives to help us better understand how students dealt with the pandemic this fall, their pressures and how those experiences may affect their future enrollment decisions, says Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning at Lumina Foundation.
COVID-19 presents an ongoing challenge to schools given students' concerns about their ability to continue. Increased access to mental health and financial aid resources will be critical for student completion, says Gallup Executive Director for Education Research Stephanie Marken.
Gallup, Lumina Foundation Release Fall 2020 State of the Student Experience Study
