Impacts of Coronavirus on Educational Institutes in the US
Every aspect of life has been affected by the spread of coronavirus. Coronavirus affected all businesses and industries, including educational institutes. Institute of International Education (IIE) released a report on the effects of COVID 19 on University campuses. Thus today, we’ll discuss how coronavirus impacts the colleges and universities of the US.
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While the country is fighting between revolting against coronavirus and a troubled economy, 599 education institutes are in trouble due to the pandemic. Besides this, not only institutes but also several students are also facing issues due to coronavirus. So we’ll talk in-depth what kind of issues educational institutes are facing due to COVID 19 and what students are demanding from institutes.
Challenges Faced by Colleges and Universities Due to COVID 19
We can see COVID 19’s effect not only on the marketing industry but also on educational institutes. Whether it is about teaching, scholarships, admissions, and loan, COVID 9 is making long-lasting impressions on colleges and universities. So the question arises what challenges are these institutes facing now? Let’s discuss this answer:
Challenge to Come Up With New Modes of Learning
COVID 19 situation is forcing educational institutes to come up with holistic and engaging education for students. Thus this is the biggest challenge that colleges and universities are facing during this pandemic. But it can also be taken as an opportunity to break out of old habits and create something impactful to attract students.
That is why Gaidi Faraj, Dean of African Leadership University, said: “An unintended consequence of this pandemic is that high education will become significantly more accessible as universities think about how to move all of their programmings online.”
COVID 19 Affected Number of Admissions
John Pryor, the founder of Pryor Education Insights, said, “most of the students who were about to join the colleges will now prefer a gap year due to COVID 19 situation.” Thus educational institutes will have to face financial loss at this point. Even if colleges come up with all the safety measures, there are still frightened students who might not join offline colleges. So this is the challenge that almost every educational institute is facing or will face in the future.
Complex Application Processes
Besides affecting admissions, the pandemic situation will make application processes complex. Some students believe that online admission tests offered by institutes are making the application process complex. The domestic applications will go down. Since most of the students are unable to pay off loans, not all the students can afford tuition fees now. That is why some students are demanding discounts from educational institutes which you can see in the infographic below by Statista:
Financial Impacts on Educational Institutes
As we know, all the colleges and universities are under significant pressure due to finances. Most of the universities are cutting their funds and keeping only essential expenditures. That is why some staff and employees are also getting temporary or confirmed pay cuts. Thus “to face the challenge some smaller institutes might merge into larger institutions,” says vice president of the University of Arizona.
Furthermore, there are some educational institutes which are relying on international students to pay full tuition fees. Thus if international students are reluctant to come to the US, then institutes will have to face substantial financial loss.
Shifting Towards Online Learning
While the quick shift of colleges and universities is impressive, the results are somewhat mixed. Now they have to shift everything online from learning to career development. That is why even schools, which were having online course systems before the pandemic, are also facing issues.
Moreover, the requisite change to homeschooling is challenging for most of the colleges.
Besides this, colleges have lost the opportunity to engage with potential students on campus actively. According to a college counselor, Nicole Pilar, “college can mount a ton of webinars, but the fact remains that on-campus events are most impactful.”
Further, if you are having any difficulty in online learning, then various websites can help you like All Assignment Help, Homework Joy, and Assignment Geek. Thus educational institutes need to act fast to overcome these challenges. Also, they have to try new approaches to attract local and international students.