How the Pandemic Put More Strain on Students Last Fall

As colleges begin their spring terms, they’re still learning lessons about how students felt about the fall. One thing seems clear about the “new normal”: Students are struggling to make online classes work while worrying about their finances and their health.

A new survey by New America and Third Way, which updates a survey the two think tanks conducted last August with Global Strategy Group, a public-affairs and research company, reveals that the challenges plaguing students since the pandemic began haven’t disappeared. Some are getting worse.

The December survey provides, among other things, a look at the difficulties of online learning for students, their financial struggles, and their views on the value of a college education. Here’s more about the ways Covid-19 has affected how students feel about their college experience: