Investigating the Implications of Covid-19 on College Enrollment throughout the State of Georgia
Disciplines
Educational Administration and Supervision | Higher Education Administration | Human Resources Management
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The arrival of Covid-19 in January 2020 transformed the field of education, and protective measures have impacted universities worldwide as they have implemented social distancing, mask mandates, virtual learning, and other procedures to ensure the safety of their staff and students. Colleges are part of the service industry which has taken the greatest hit from this health crisis, and changes in consumer spending could indicate a potential decline in college enrollment. How has student enrollment changed for Georgia universities over the last ten years? The purpose of this quantitative research study is to analyze total student enrollment trends over a ten-year period covering pre- and post-pandemic records while testing to see if average enrollment declined for all universities within the state of Georgia. The secondary data was gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and it reviews student enrollment data for 148 higher education institutions within the state of Georgia between the fall semesters of 2010 and 2020. The conclusions will address whether there was a significant decline in university enrollment in the state of Georgia after the pandemic. Expected findings from the study are to reveal a positive trend of fall enrollment data and will decline sharply with the arrival of the pandemic in 2020. The findings will be useful for college administrators and assist with future financial as well as marketing decisions for universities throughout the state.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CCSE - Data Science and Analytics
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Kevin Gittner
Investigating the Implications of Covid-19 on College Enrollment throughout the State of Georgia
The arrival of Covid-19 in January 2020 transformed the field of education, and protective measures have impacted universities worldwide as they have implemented social distancing, mask mandates, virtual learning, and other procedures to ensure the safety of their staff and students. Colleges are part of the service industry which has taken the greatest hit from this health crisis, and changes in consumer spending could indicate a potential decline in college enrollment. How has student enrollment changed for Georgia universities over the last ten years? The purpose of this quantitative research study is to analyze total student enrollment trends over a ten-year period covering pre- and post-pandemic records while testing to see if average enrollment declined for all universities within the state of Georgia. The secondary data was gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and it reviews student enrollment data for 148 higher education institutions within the state of Georgia between the fall semesters of 2010 and 2020. The conclusions will address whether there was a significant decline in university enrollment in the state of Georgia after the pandemic. Expected findings from the study are to reveal a positive trend of fall enrollment data and will decline sharply with the arrival of the pandemic in 2020. The findings will be useful for college administrators and assist with future financial as well as marketing decisions for universities throughout the state.