Impacts of COVID-19 on Students' Transition to Postsecondary Experiences

• In Event: From Barriers, to Strategies, to Impact: Illuminating Transfer Pathways in Higher Education

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the postsecondary experiences of North Carolina students in the first two years after high school graduation. Using state administrative databases, the paper presents data on student enrollment into two- or four-year colleges or entering the workforce, including subgroup analyses. Students' choices and reasons for these choices were further explored through a survey and interviews with students and their advisors in high school and college. This study expands research on COVID-19 impacts by examining students’ trajectories of postsecondary enrollment over time and incorporating the perspectives of students and advisors to elucidate the immediate and longer-term effects of COVID-19 on students' postsecondary transitions.

Authors

• Nina Arshavsky, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Julie A. Edmunds, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Dora Gicheva, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Bryan C. Hutchins, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Nir Eilam, University of North Carolina - Greensboro