Higher Education Admissions and the COVID-19 Pandemic: The National Landscape

The COVID-19 pandemic has created numerous challenges for higher education institutions to meet their respective admissions and enrollment goals. In response, many institutions implemented test-optional admissions policies, extended deposit deadlines, and modified enrollment fees, all with the hope of easing access and providing flexibility for students amid uncertainty. In this policy brief, we describe the national landscape of recent higher education policy changes and how such decisions may impact the future of higher education admissions. Further, we look back at policy decisions during the most recent economic downturn, the Great Recession, and examine how financial crises impact postsecondary enrollment. We also contextualize the issues facing today’s students and institutions with those observed during the Great Recession.