The pandemic has taken a significant toll on the desire for high school students to pursue higher education, a new study shows.
Less than 50% of high school students are interested in four-year colleges, a decrease of over 20% from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, a new survey reported.
The number of teenagers likely to pursue a traditional four-year degree decreased from 71% to 48% between May 2020 and September 2021, according to surveys of over 1,000 students by the Educational Credit Management Corporation.
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“The findings point to a shift in mindset: While the four-year college path has become the ‘status quo’ for many, a majority of today’s Gen Z teens are questioning this path and are looking to pursue more affordable education options that connect directly to careers,” the Question the Quo survey arm of the ECMC Group wrote.
Though 86% of students reported feeling pressured to attend university, most expressed concern about the cost. Six out of 10 respondents worried about how they would pay for college, and 65% said student loans are an important factor in their future education.
The dropping interest in four-year degrees was most apparent among students from high-income families, with the percentage believing more education was necessary to find a career decreasing by 20 points between February 2020 and September of this year. Among low-income students, the interest dropped by 13 points during the same time period.
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This hesitancy has already been reflected in college enrollment. Since fall 2019, first-year enrollment among four-year schools has dropped an “unprecedented 13%,” according to statistics compiled by Best Colleges. Two-year institutions were hit harder, seeing an 18.9% drop in first-year enrollment. Overall undergraduate college attendance dropped by 4.4%.
Job openings have increased in recent months, with employers scrambling to fill vacancies. Some 4.4 million workers quit their jobs in September, up from a previous record of 4.3 million in August. While the economy added 531,000 new jobs in October, beating expectations, the United States is still millions of jobs short compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, when unemployment was at a record 3.5%.
