Universities Prepare for COVID-19 Impact
In light of COVID-19, some colleges are waiving standardized test requirements for 2021 applicants. Colleges are also preparing for the financial blow the virus will bring.
According to ABC News, some universities already under financial stress may be forced to close. Low enrollment numbers and refunds for unused housing and meal plans will affect universities everywhere.
Due to the fact high schools are closed for the remainder of the school year, high school juniors missed a chance to take the ACT or SAT. Some universities have dropped requirements for standardized test scores. This decision is widely supported by those who believe all universities should be test-optional.
Jeff Robinson, of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, said the department has had to make a lot of changes to their programs, like College Credit Plus, and that high schools and universities had no choice but to adapt.
“For a while, it was something different every day that we had to handle,” Robinson said.
The decision for some schools to go test-optional affects those applying for college next year, but also some that are applying for this upcoming fall semester. Whether or not colleges will make the decision to go test-optional is permanent is unclear. Test-optional universities are beneficial to students whose test results do not reflect their academic abilities.
Education experts said standardized test essay requirements for applying to universities “have never been of much use.” All Ivy League universities have dropped their requirement for the essay portion of the ACT or SAT in 2018.
The ACT and SAT have long received negative flack because many people believe the test is inherently biased against people of color and people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Over 1,000 accredited four-year universities have decided to go test-optional, including those who have done so temporarily due to COVID-19.
“It entirely depends on the university,” Robinson said. “Contact the university to see what is going on in the fall and to see what is going on with applications.”
Robinson said the Ohio Department of Higher Education has started talking about re-emerging.
“We have been in contact with presidents of universities, we don’t know what is going on just yet,” he said.
Kent State University, the University of Akron and Youngstown State University have seen a decline in enrollment numbers in recent years.
Mary Parker, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Kent State University, was not available for comment. However, she did host a Facebook Live in which she talked about enrollment in the wake of COVID-19.
Kent State has waived the ACT and SAT score requirement for students applying for fall 2020 semester.
“We will be looking at their GPA, the courses they took and how rigorous [the courses] were,” Parker said in the Facebook Live. “We will also be taking unofficial transcripts from the counselors.”
Parker urged the viewers Kent State is doing everything they can to make sure students applying and current students have all of the information they need to succeed. She urged parents and students to contact OneStop if they need any special FAFSA or financial aid.
