1 in 5 college students not planning to enroll in the fall: poll

More than 1 in 5 college students reported they do not plan to enroll in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a poll released Wednesday.

A College Reaction-Axios poll determined that 22 percent of students said they will not return to college in the fall as the pandemic has flipped the college experience on its head. 

Those not enrolling are making different plans, with 73 percent saying they will work full time, about 4 percent saying they will take classes at a different university and 2 percent doing volunteer work.

Freshmen reportedly make up a “big chunk” of the population not enrolling in the fall, according to Axios, with Harvard University saying 20 percent of the incoming class of 2024 are deferring. 

Of the students returning to campus, 56 percent reported they will live off-campus, 7 percent said they would live in single dorms and 9 percent in double rooms.

An overwhelming majority, 83 percent, said they plan to follow their college’s coronavirus restrictions, and 58 percent said they will inform the institution if they see students violating these rules.  

A total of 77 percent said they don’t think their college should have football and other fall sports. 

The College Reaction-Axios poll surveyed 798 college students Aug. 16 and 17. The margin of error amounted to 3.5 percentage points. 

The poll highlights the financial strain on colleges and universities if they lose a segment of their expected enrollment.

Several universities have already had students return to campus, including at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which suspended in-person undergraduate classes after multiple clusters of COVID-19 were identified.