undergraduate enrollment indicators, impact on admissions

Undergraduate Enrollment Indicators, Impact on Admissions Practice and Fall Course Delivery:

Results of the AACRAO COVID-19 Impact Snapshot Survey #2

Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1

Key Data .......................................................................................................................................... 1

Appendix A: Enrollment indicators including “unknown at this time” ........................................... 7

Appendix B: Enrollment Indicators - Lower Division Institutions Only ........................................... 9

Appendix C: Enrollment Indicators – Undergraduate and Comprehensive Institutions Only ..... 11

Appendix D: Fall Course Delivery Plans by Institution Type ......................................................... 13

1

Introduction AACRAO is in the process of deploying ongoing guidance on a range of topics in support of institutions of higher education, as many need to adjust, review and consider their practices in response to the impact of COVID-19 on normal operations. To help us develop this guidance and our members’ understanding of how other institutions are responding to COVID-19, we have begun to deploy a series of rapidly developed practice impact surveys. This is the second report based on those surveys which focuses on enrollment indicators for summer and fall, admissions practice changes and course delivery methods changes for fall. Admissions practice changes includes admissions decisions, course placement, orientation, advising and registration. The survey was open for 2 business days and we received 262 responses in that timeframe (91% from U.S. institutions). We are grateful to our members for taking the time to respond to this survey in the midst of unprecedented institutional needs. We hope the resulting data will help inform practice. It is worth noting that summer and fall 2020 enrollment changes may also be attributed to factors other than the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, WICHE's forecast for high school graduates shows declines, and until a few weeks ago, the favorable economy was having some level of impact on community college enrollments.

Key Data

• Among institutions that have data to compare at this time, key summer and fall enrollment indicators lean towards a decline in enrollment for new students, continuing students and transfer students1

• 90% report no delay in admissions decisions

• Impact on fall course delivery2 o 58% are considering or have already decided to remain fully online for fall 2020 o 62% are considering decreasing, or have decreased, the number of in-person courses for fall 2020 o 73% are considering increasing, or have increased, the number of online and/or remote courses for fall

2020

• 94% have made, or are considering making, changes to admissions practices in response to COVID-19 including the following3:

o 62% will now allow, or are considering allowing, pass (P) and other non-qualitative grades on high school transcripts to satisfy admissions requirement

o 69% have extended, or are considering extending, the enrollment deposit deadline o 65% have extended, or are considering extending, the deadline for the submission of a final high school

transcript o 53% will now use, or are considering using, an unofficial high school transcript for admissions decisions o 66% have moved, or are considering moving, to online and/or remote course placement testing o 50% will now allow, or are considering allowing, pass (P) and other non-qualitative grades on high school

transcripts to satisfy pre-requisites for registration o 58% have moved, or are considering moving, to online and/or remote advising o 53% have extended, or are considering extending, the new student course registration window

If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Kilgore, AACRAO Director of Research at [email protected].

1 “Unknown at this time” data for enrollment indicators is included in Appendix A 2 These data exclude those who selected “not applicable” 3 These data exclude respondents who selected “not applicable”

https://www.aacrao.org/resources/covid-19-crisis-practices

2

* Excluding “unknown at this time” and “not applicable”


54%52%

45%

38%

58%

45%

12%

40%42%

7%

14%

24%

38%

16%

22%20%

29%

21%

39%

34%31%

24%27%

32%

68%

31%37%

Summeradmissionnumbers

Summerregistration

numbers

Fall admissionnumbers

Fall admissionacceptance

numbers

Fall orientationsession

numbers

Fall registrationnumbers

Fall applicationwithdrawal

numbers

Fall enrollmentdeposit

numbers

Fall residencehall application

numbers

New Student Enrollment Indicators

Down Up Unchanged

46%44%

32%

16%13%

17%

38%

43%

51%

Summer registration numbers Fall registration numbers Fall residence hall renewal numbers

Continuing Student Enrollment Indicators*

Down Up Unchanged

3


47%

52%

43%

49%

57%

53%

17%

41% 40%

14% 14%

30%

22%

15%

23%

13%

31%

14%

40%

34%

27% 28% 28% 24%

70%

28%

46%


Summerregistration

numbers


numbers



numbers



numbers


numbers


numbers

Transfer Student Enrollment Indicators*

Down Up Unchanged

*excluding not applicable

4

8%

57%

30%

6%

Status of COVID-19 Impact changes to first-time undergraduate student admissions, orientation, advising and regisration (n=233)

We have already made thechanges we intend to make

We have made some decisionsalready and are working on others

We are considering our optionsnow

We are not making any changes

5

*excluding “not applicable” and asked only of those who did not select “We are not making any changes”

1%

14%

0%

12%

12%

12%

17%

44%

37%

53%

18%

7%

18%

7%

35%

24%

22%

28%

25%

12%

22%

32%

14%

35%

19%

30%

35%

47%

30%

16%

17%

5%

30%

78%

33%

74%

23%

29%

20%

25%

15%

34%

20%

20%

Accepting electronic official copies of high school transcripts (n=207)

Using unofficial high school transcripts for admissions decisions(n=196)

Accepting electronic versions of admissions related documents(n=208)

Deadline extension for final high school transcript (n=179)

Optional standardized admissions tests (SAT/ACT) (n=174)

Enrollment deposit deadline extension (n=133)

Implementing a virtual option for performance sample submissions(n=88)

Changing selective program admissions requirements (n=133)

Waiving application fee (n=155)

Waiving enrollment deposit (n=132)

Allowing pass (P) and other equivalent non-qualitative grades on highschool transcripts to satisfy admissions requirements (n=178)

COVID-19 Impact on first-time undergraduate student admissions practices*

Standard practice - no change Change already made Under consideration Not on the table for discussion

6



5%

62%

48%

49%

41%

25%

36%

34%

25%

7%

6%

10%

29%

7%

11%

7%

Moving to online and/or remote course placement testing (n=175)

Eliminating course placement testing (n=163)

Creating a proficiency index score based on other available data toreplace course placement testing (n=151)

Modifying an existing proficiency index score to account for missingSAT/ACT scores (n=141)

COVID-19 Impact on first-time undergraduate student coures placement practices*

Standard practice - no change Change already made Under consideration Not on the table for discussion

50%

25%

26%

32%

38%

34%

56%

21%

4%

25%

7%

2%

32%

56%

25%

9%

16%

21%

8%

12%

Online, remote or virtual orientation (n=207)

Online, remote or virtual advising (n=208)

Extending the new student course registration window (n=180)

Awarding credit for completed AP courses based on course grade iftest score is not available (n=193)

Allowing pass (P) and other equivalent non-qualitative grades on highschool transcripts to satisfy prerequisites for registration (n=180)

COVID-19 Impact on first-time undergraduate orientation, advising, and registration for

fall 2020*

Standard practice - no change Not on the table for discussion Change already made Under consideration

7

Appendix A: Enrollment indicators including “unknown at this time” (excluding “not applicable”)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%


Summerregistration

numbers



numbers

Fallorientation

sessionnumbers

Fallregistration

numbers


numbers


numbers

Fall residencehall

applicationnumbers

New Student Enrollment Indicators

Down Up Unchanged Unknown at this time

8

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%


Summerregistration

numbers



numbers

Fallorientation

sessionnumbers

Fallregistration

numbers


numbers


numbers

Fall residencehall

applicationnumbers

Transfer Student Enrollment Indicators

Down Up Unchanged Unknown at this time

9

Appendix B: Enrollment Indicators - Lower Division Institutions Only

*excluding “unknown at this time”


66%

55% 54%

36%

67% 67%

0%

20%17%

8% 10% 9%

21%17%

27%

13%

0%

33%

26%

35% 37%43%

17%

7%

88%

80%

50%


(n=38)

Summerregistration

numbers(n=31)


(n=35)


numbers(n=28)


numbers (n=6)


(n=15)


numbers (n=8)


numbers (n=5)

Fall residencehall applicationnumbers (n=6)

New Student Enrollment Indicators: Lower Division Institutions Only*

Down Up Unchanged

57%

63%

25%

6%

0% 0%

37% 37%

75%

Summer registration numbers (n=35) Fall registration numbers (n=19) Fall residence hall renewal numbers (n=4)

Continuing Student Enrollment Indicators: Lower Division Institutions Only*

Down Up Unchanged

10


45%50%

54%

28%

50%

62%

50%

0% 0%

24%

17%

4%

17%

25%

8%

0% 0%

100%

31% 33%

42%

56%

25%

31%

50%

100%

0%


(n=29)

Summerregistration

numbers (24)


(n=24)


numbers (18)


numbers (n=4)


(n=13)


numbers (n=2)


numbers (n=3)

Fall residencehall applicationnumbers (n=1)

Transfer Student Enrollment Indicators: Lower Division Institutions Only*

Down Up Unchanged

11

Appendix C: Enrollment Indicators – Undergraduate and Comprehensive Institutions Only



51% 52%

43%

38%

56%

41%

13%

41%45%

6%

15%

27%

41%

16%

21% 21%

30%

20%

43%

33%29%

20%

28%

38%

66%

29%

35%


(n=95)

Summerregistration

numbers(n=91)

Fall admissionnumbers(n=143)


numbers(n=143)


numbers(n=57)


(n=61)


numbers(n=101)


numbers(n=115)


numbers(n=74)

New Student Enrollment Indicators: Undergraduate and Comprehensive Institutions Only*

Down Up Unchanged

42% 40%

33%

21%16%

19%

38%

45%48%

Summer registration numbers(n=96)

Fall registration numbers(n=83)

Fall residence hall renewalnumbers (n=54)

Continuing Student Enrollment Indicators: Undergraduate and Comprehensive Institutions Only*

Down Up Unchanged

12


48%52%

48%45%

58%

51%

16%

42% 42%

9%13%

25%

31%

15%

27%

14%

32%

13%

43%

35%

26% 24%27%

22%

70%

26%

46%


(n=86)

Summerregistration

numbers(n=69)

Fall admissionnumbers(n=130)


numbers(n=131)


numbers(n=48)


(n=49)


numbers(n=87)


numbers(n=92)


numbers(n=48)

Transfer Student Enrollment Indicators: Undergraduate and Comprehensive Institutions Only*

Down Up Unchanged

13

Appendix D: Fall Course Delivery Plans by Institution Type

Lower Division Only

(n=50)

Undergraduate

(n=38)

Undergraduate,

graduate and/or

professional (n=131)

Change already made 6% 5% 5%

Under consideration 36% 53% 58%

Not on the table for

discussion at this time 58% 42% 37%

Lower Division Only

(n=50)

Undergraduate

(n=36)

Undergraduate,

graduate and/or






Lower Division Only

(n=50)

Undergraduate

(n=34)

Undergraduate,

graduate and/or






Question

Lower Division Only

(n=48)

Undergraduate

(n=35)

Undergraduate,

graduate and/or






Decreasing the total number of courses offered as compared to fall 2019

Increasing the number of online courses as compared to fall 2019

Remaining fully online

Decreasing the number of in-person courses as compared to fall 2019

undergraduate enrollment indicators, impact on admissions

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