Dive Brief:
- More students will likely opt to attend college closer to home as a result of the pandemic, a shift that stands to hurt institutions that rely heavily on out-of-state enrollees, explains a new Moody’s Investors Service report.
- Meanwhile, states that tend to lose residents to colleges elsewhere could benefit from the trend. In all, seven in 10 states get more than 20% of their college enrollment from out of state.
- Public colleges are more likely than private institutions to gain more from the shift, which comes as recruitment intensifies and colleges’ fall plans remain unclear.
Dive Insight:
“In the fall of 2018, more than one-third of first-time students in New Jersey, Hawaii, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont attended college out of state, the report explains. Those states in particular could benefit from more students attending college in their home state.
New Jersey is taking steps to make that happen. Ten of its public four-year institutions recently banded together in a campaign to draw back students enrolled in colleges elsewhere with the promise of an easy transfer process and an opportunity to help the state recover from the crisis. The program’s website also points out that tuition “may be lower” than at students’ current school.
Moody’s analysts say in-state enrollment at New Jersey colleges could increase “significantly” this fall if the state takes a while to contain the coronavirus and the economic contraction is protracted. New Jersey is one of a handful to recently announce that new arrivals from select states will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.”
Read the full article on EducationDive.com.
