The Princeton Review Reports Findings of Its July-August Survey of College Administrators

Survey Topics Included COVID Protocols, Fall Reopenings, and Enrollment Forecasts

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Aug 31, 2021, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to findings of a survey by The Princeton Review^® that polled administrators at almost 300 colleges nationwide from July 22 to August 5 on topics from campus reopening plans and COVID protocols to enrollment forecasts, "School's in!" for college students this year.

Ninety-five percent of the respondents to The Princeton Review Summer 2021 College Administrator Survey reported the majority of their fall classes will be conducted in-person. That figure is 74% higher than the 21% of administrators who told The Princeton Review last summer that the majority of their fall 2020 classes would be in-person. Sixty-seven percent of administrators responding to that summer 2020 survey said the majority of their fall classes would be hybrid (partial online, partial in-person).

For millions of students arriving at college campuses for those in-person classes, the COVID vaccination will be a must. Sixty-four percent of administrators participating in the 2021 survey said their institutions are mandating the vaccination for all students (with allowances for those with medical or religious exemptions).

Are their colleges also mandating that staff and faculty be vaccinated? Will masks be required? The Princeton Review asked administrators these questions and more regarding their school's COVID policies, enrollment forecasts, admission test requirements, and key concerns for the 2021-22 school year.

The Princeton Review's downloadable report on the survey lists the survey's 14 questions, answer choices, and findings broken out three ways: by all respondents, by school type (public / private) and by region (NE, NW, MW, SE, SW). The report posted today on the company's website and can be accessed here. A findings summary follows.

Key Findings of The Princeton Review Summer 2021 College Administrator Survey

COVID Policies

64% of administrators overall said their schools are mandating the COVID vaccination for students on campus (with allowances for those with medical or religious exemptions). Responses so indicating by region showed significant variation with a highest-to-lowest range of 88% in the NE to 48% in the SE.
41% said their schools are mandating the vaccination for faculty, administrators and staff (with allowances for those with medical or religious exemptions). The range by region was 64% NW to 26% SE.
71% reported their schools plan to conduct periodic COVID tests on all people on campus. The range by region was 81% NE to 45% NW.
84% indicated their schools will require non-vaccinated individuals to wear masks, observe social-distancing, and comply with other protocols to prevent COVID contagion. The range by region was 98% NE to 69% SW.

Note: School policies and protocols vary by school type, by location, and in some cases by jurisdictions. One administrator responding to the survey commented that his school's COVID policies were changing "by the minute."

Enrollment Forecasts

43% of administrators said their fall 2021 enrollment will likely be higher than that of fall 2020. By school type, 48% of private school administrators so indicated vs 29% of public school respondents.
35% said their fall 2021 enrollment will be about the same as that of fall 2020. Variation by school type was minimal: 34% private schools vs 38% public schools.
22% said their fall 2021 enrollment will be lower. By school type: 18% of private school administrators so indicated vs 33% of public school administrators.

Note: Findings of the summer 2020 survey showed significantly fewer respondents,19% (as compared with 43% in 2021), reporting that their fall enrollment would be higher than that of the prior fall, and significantly more respondents, 39% (as compared with 22% in 2021), reporting that their fall enrollment would be lower than that of the prior fall.

Admission Test (SAT/ACT) Requirement Policies

87% of administrators reported that for fall 2021 applicants, their schools had been "test optional but (they) considered scores." Variation by school type was noteworthy: 91% of private school administrators so indicated vs 78% of public school administrators. Variation by region was even broader: the range (highest-to-lowest) was 94% MW to 57% NW.
Asked about their policy for fall 2022 applicants, 78% of administrators reported their schools will be "test optional but (they) will consider scores." Variation by school type was 83% private schools vs 66% public schools. Range by region (highest to lowest) was 83% NE to 57% NW. Note: 9% of respondents overall said they have not yet decided their fall 2022 policy.

Campus Community Key Concerns for 2021-22

Administrators were asked to rank four topics—academics, affordability, health, and social justice—based on which will matter most among their school's students this year and rank the same topics according to which will matter most among their fellow administrators. The findings for these questions were tallied based on weighted averages.

The topic administrators ranked as the #1 concern among their school's students was academics, followed by #2 affordability, #3 health, and #4 social justice. Findings by school type and by region varied. Noting here only the concerns that administrators ranked #1: those at private schools and at schools in the NE, SE, and MW said academics would be their students' #1 concern. Those at public schools and schools in the NW and SW said affordability would be their students' #1 concern.
The topic administrators ranked as the #1 concern among their school's administrators was academics followed by #2 health, #3 social justice and #4 affordability. Findings by school type varied little, but those by region were noteworthy. Noting here only the concerns that administrators ranked #1: those at schools in the SE, MW and NW said academics would be their school's administrators' #1 concern. Those at schools in the NE and SW said health would be their school's administrators' #1 concern.

Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief, The Princeton Review, commented "We thank every one of the administrators who took the time to participate in our survey. We heard from 48% more administrators on this summer survey than we did on our 2020 summer survey. The data and feedback they shared has given us important insights into the challenges they are facing as a group. It has also revealed significant variations among them by region and by school type as they work to make the academic year ahead a successful, healthy, and enriching one on all counts."

About the Survey:

The Princeton Review Summer 2021 College Administrator Survey was conducted online from July 22 to August 5. The survey was sent to administrators at 655 institutions including those profiled in the company's flagship guidebook, The Best 387 Colleges: 2022 Edition (published August 31, 2021) as well as those featured in the company's website resource, Best Regional Colleges. The response rate was 41%: 266 administrators returned completed surveys. By type, 71% (189) were from private colleges and 29% (77) were from public colleges. By location, the regions of the participants' colleges (and the percentages of surveys submitted from the regions) were: NE (37%), SE (25%), MW (22%), SW (11%), and NW (5%). The Princeton Review's complete report on the survey is downloadable via the release in The Princeton Review Media Center as well as here. An infographic illustrating selected findings is posted here.

About The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review^®, is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The company's Tutor.com brand is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered nearly 21 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company's Media Center. Follow the company on Twitter (@ThePrincetonRev) and Instagram (@theprincetonreview).