2020 Survey of Admissions Leaders: A Mess of a Year

Inside Higher Ed

Scott Jaschik

September 21, 2020

The process of building a class to educate has never been easy. In recent years, community colleges and nonelite liberal arts colleges have had great difficulties.

But this year, fear and anxiety spread throughout higher education, according to the 2020 Inside Higher Ed Survey of College and University Admissions Officials, conducted by Gallup between Aug. 6 and 30. The survey of 433 senior admissions officials (only one per institution) found:

• A record number were very concerned about filling their classes.

• A majority (also a record) not only did not fill their classes by May 1 (the traditional deadline) but did not fill their classes by July 1.

• A significant minority of private colleges said they were taking advantage of rules changes made by the National Association for College Admission Counseling to recruit students.

• Most colleges expect enrollment to decrease this year.

• A majority of those that went test optional or test blind during the pandemic do not expect to ever restore a standardized testing requirement in admissions.

• Private college officials were much more likely than their public counterparts to say they played a “key role” in deciding what the college would do this fall, with regard to campus openings.

CONTINUE READING