As more and more Americans become eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, colleges and universities have begun announcing plans to brings their students back to campus for an in-person fall semester. With applications at an all-time low, colleges have been struggling to keep themselves afloat, so news of increased vaccination rates comes as a relief. The chief education and policy officer for the National Association of College Admission Counseling said that “after being in quarantine for the better part of a year, if not a year, many people-- and that includes students-- are anxious to get back to some semblance of normal.”

Colleges are hoping to restore this sense of normalcy by moving students back to campus to live in residential halls and filling up classrooms without capacity limits. Unfortunately, not all colleges have felt so confident to promise an in-person spring semester due to the ever-changing nature of COVID-19. Many community colleges in California, a state that has been particularly impacted by COVID-19, will continue teaching online with an option for hybrid classes.

Though many colleges and universities are making sweeping promises for a “normal” fall semester, many experts warn against institutions making decisions based on admissions prospects. Colleges and Universities that have announced in-person fall semesters may be hoping that this will give them an advantage in the admissions process as more students will accept their offer.

For more information, read the full article posted by Higher Ed here,

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/03/12/why-colleges-are-racing-tell-students-they%E2%80%99ll-be-open-person-fall.