Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, students are determining what their next steps will be for fall. There is good data showing that students are: delaying; considering their alternatives, including staying closer to home; spending less money on tuition; and being prepared for online and hybrid learning that may take them to the classroom some days, but not others, thus spacing out their courses in a way that continues social distancing.
It is true everyone is eager to return to “normal,” and the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education has given indicators that he wants schools to reopen in the fall, subject to safety conditions. We remain hopeful as to what that looks like. For now, all schools, including colleges and universities, are in the planning stages for reopening and mitigating risk for fall 2020.