PROVIDENCE – Public health, safety and affordability are weighing heavily on high school and college students, with more than half saying these concerns have impacted their academic plans for the fall semester, according to a Citizens Financial Group survey released on Thursday.
According to the third annual Student Lending Survey, 55% of high school upperclassmen and 53% of college students said public health and safety concerns had a “high impact” on their post-high school and college enrollment plans for the fall of 2020. Meanwhile, 42% of each group reported that health and safety issues had little or no impact on their future plans.
Paying for college also ranked high on the list of concerns, with 64% of high school students and 52% of their parents naming affordability as a top determinant of their post-high school plans. Among currently enrolled college students and their parents, the same concern was cited by 44% and 35%, respectively.
Other factors affecting 2020 academic plans among those surveyed included the economy, job market, and disinterest in an online learning format.
One bright side of the pandemic is that families are talking about how to pay for college early on; nearly half, or 48%, of respondents reported talking about this by students’ sophomore year of high school, with 20% beginning the conversation by eighth grade.
“This survey shows that there is a significant correlation between families talking about paying for college earlier and students understanding the significance of the financial impacts of college, especially during the pandemic,” said Christine Roberts, head of student lending at Citizens.
Citizens surveyed 1,042 people, including parents, current college students and prospective college students across the country.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
