The Majority of First-Time Postsecondary Students Said Their Stress and Anxiety Increased Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON (September 19, 2024) — The majority of students who were in their first year of postsecondary education in 2019–20 had at least some of their classes entirely online the following academic year and reported feeling increased stress or anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as newly released data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical center within the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, show.

Data captured in the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) show that 72 percent of first-time beginning (FTB) postsecondary students who earned a credential within 3 years of starting and were enrolled in a postsecondary institution in the 2020–21 academic year said some or all their classes met online in 2020–21. This was true for 80 percent of FTBs who had not earned a credential after 3 years but were enrolled in a postsecondary institution in 2020–21.

The data also show the pandemic affected more than in-person learning. Among all FTBs, 73 percent said they experienced increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020–21 academic year.

“With these data, we have the first follow-up or glance at the experiences of first-time students’ pathways through postsecondary education during the pandemic,” NCES commissioner Peggy Carr said. “We already knew that almost everyone struggled in some way, but we now have a stronger sense of outcomes for students who experienced disruptions or changes due to COVID-19 as a result of the longitudinal design of this study.”

Some students said they experienced other personal disruptions or changes due to COVID-19 in the 2020–21 academic year, such as job loss, difficulty paying their mortgage or rent, moving back to their permanent address, and difficulties related to food:

• 20 percent lost a job or income.
• 19 percent moved back to their permanent address.
• 15 percent reported difficulty paying their mortgage or rent.
• 12 percent reported difficulty accessing food or paying for food due to the pandemic.

The BPS is a nationally representative study that follows students for 6 years after they begin postsecondary education. Students remain in the sample even if they leave or change their schools during the course of the study. Data from the study address questions about students’ postsecondary enrollment patterns, including continued enrollment, highest postsecondary credential earned, social and academic experiences and activities, and employment history.

Several survey questions asked respondents to report on personal experiences as well as employment and educational disruptions that occurred “as a result of the coronavirus pandemic” in spring 2020 and in the 2020–21 academic year. The report findings are based on data from a nationally representative sample of all first-time students who entered postsecondary education during the 2019–20 academic year.

The BPS sample included about 37,330 students, representing the 3.3 million students who were FTB postsecondary students in the 2019–20 academic year. The study included a follow-up of the cohort, thus collecting information covering the first 3 years of the students’ experiences, through the 2021–22 academic year.

Other highlights of the report include:

• Among 2019–20 first-time postsecondary students, 7 percent had completed an associate’s degree, 5 percent had completed a certificate, and 1 percent had completed a bachelor’s degree at any institution within 3 years.
• 41 percent of students who had not attained a credential, compared to 31 percent of students who had attained a credential, at any institution after 3 years and were enrolled in a postsecondary institution during the 2020–21 academic year indicated receiving grades lower than expected because of the pandemic.

For more information about the survey, including methodology, visit REPORT URL HERE.

Attainment and persistence at any institution within 3 years

Among 2019–20 FTB postsecondary students:

• 7 percent had completed an associate’s degree, 5 percent had completed a certificate, and 1 percent had completed a bachelor’s degree at any institution within 3 years.
• 65 percent had not earned a credential as of June 2022 but were enrolled at an institution during the 2021–22 academic year (48 percent at a 4-year institution and 17 percent at a less-than 4-year institution).
• 23 percent had not earned a credential and were not enrolled at any institution during the 2021–22 academic year.

Within 3 years of starting postsecondary education:

• 13 percent of 2019–20 FTB postsecondary students who first enrolled in a public 2-year institution had completed an associate’s degree and 6 percent had completed a certificate.
• 48 percent had not earned a credential as of June 2022 but were enrolled in postsecondary education during the 2021–22 academic year (9 percent at a 4-year institution and 39 percent at a less-than 4-year institution).
• 33 percent had not earned a credential and were not enrolled at any institution during the 2021–22 academic year.
• 3 percent of 2019–20 FTB postsecondary students who first enrolled in a 4-year institution had completed an associate’s degree, 2 percent had completed a certificate, and 1 percent had completed a bachelor’s degree.
• 79 percent had not earned a credential as of June 2022 but were enrolled in postsecondary education during the 2021–22 academic year (75 percent at a 4-year institution and 4 percent at a less-than 4-year institution).
• 15 percent had not earned a credential and were not enrolled at any institution during the 2021–22 academic year.

Educational and personal disruptions and changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020–21 academic year

Among those who had attained a credential at any institution within 3 years and were enrolled in any postsecondary institution during the 2020–21 academic year:

• 72 percent reported that some or all their classes were delivered entirely online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 31 percent reported receiving grades lower than expected because of the pandemic.

Among those who had not attained a credential at any institution within 3 years and were enrolled in any postsecondary institution during the 2020–21 academic year:

• 80 percent reported that some or all their classes were delivered entirely online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 41 percent indicated receiving grades lower than expected.

Among all 2019–20 FTB postsecondary students:

• 73 percent reported increased stress or anxiety due to the pandemic in the 2020–21 academic year.
• 20 percent lost a job or income in the 2020–21 academic year.
• 19 percent moved back to their permanent address.
• 15 percent reported difficulty paying their mortgage or rent due to the pandemic.
• 12 percent reported difficulty accessing food or paying for food due to the pandemic.

The Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) is one of several National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) studies developed to address the need for nationally representative data on key postsecondary education issues such as persistence in and completion of postsecondary education programs; transition to employment; student demographic characteristics; and changes over time in students’ goals, marital status, income, and debt, among other indicators. The BPS is a follow-up to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) and focuses on students who are beginning postsecondary education for the first time during the academic year in which institutions are sampled for participation in NPSAS. After identifying first-time beginning students (FTBs), the BPS follows their progress for up to 6 years.

The BPS findings are based on data about a nationally representative sample of all FTBs who entered postsecondary education for the first time during the 2019–20 academic year. This 2022 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS:22) cohort is the fifth cohort of FTBs that NCES has tracked since 1990. The 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:20/22) is the first follow-up data collection with this cohort since the FTBs first enrolled in the 2019–20 academic year. NCES plans to conduct the second follow-up 6 years after the beginning of their postsecondary education in the 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:20/25).