In this age of COVID-19, believe it or not, a growing number of college-bound high school seniors and their parents would now prefer a college or university closer to home, according to a new report recently released.

According to Brian Communications, a national strategic communications agency, this national survey commissioned by the agency shows the effect of the coronavirus crisis on college decision-making and present potential opportunities for higher education institutions in large metropolitan areas.

“Students choosing to stay closer to the home could be a lifeline for schools in more densely populated regions,” said Brian Tierney, CEO of Brian Communications in a news release. “For areas such as the Northeast, where there is a high concentration of colleges and universities and not as much distance to travel, this could be a real opportunity to boost freshman enrollment by adjusting marketing and recruiting strategies. Parents seem to want their children to be able to drive home relatively quickly.”

Key findings from the surveys include:

  • 49% of parents would prefer that their child attend a college or university closer to home, a nearly 25% increase from Brian Communications’ findings in the spring.
  • 33% of high school seniors would prefer to attend a college or university closer to home.
  • 53% of parents prefer their child to have a mix of in-person and remote learning options for freshman year of college. However, less than half (48%) are willing to pay full tuition for it.
  • 45% of high school seniors prefer a mix of in-person and remote learning options for freshman year of college. Again, less than half (45%) are willing to pay full tuition for it.

“The debate around paying full tuition for a mix of in-person classes and remote learning boils down to value,” said David Demarest, senior advisor at Brian Communications and former vice president for public affairs at Stanford University also in the news release. “The best college administrators and faculty are challenging themselves to view this period as an incredible opportunity to innovate and reinforce the potential that they promise by creating richer and more engaging experiences for students.”

According to the data, high school seniors are less certain than their parents of higher education’s value. Based on their goals, five in 10 high school seniors believe college education is required for a successful career, compared to seven in ten parents.

Brian Communications commissioned the surveys in conjunction with Dynata, a first-party data and insights platform. With sample sizes of 1,005 parents of high school seniors likely to attend college and 1,023 high school seniors likely to attend college, the independent, online national surveys had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence.

Research participants in each study were geographically dispersed to include all regions of the country. The survey of parents of high school seniors was conducted between Oct. 4 and Oct. 10, 2020. The survey of high school seniors was conducted between Oct. 4 and Oct.15, 2020. For the full report, visit here.

Source: Brian Communications