- Institutions are heeding national guidelines to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and while these efforts are critical, this guidance alone is insufficient given the many other concerns that students now face.
- Comprehensive plans should be devised, recognizing and responding to the toll that COVID-19 has taken and will continue to take on students.

Boston College

College students are a special population facing a myriad of challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explains how pandemic conditions have exacerbated already challenging situations college students have faced, including mental health, academic pressure, food insecurity, housing insecurity, and a lack of social connectedness. This study also explains how the pandemic has exacerbated inequalities that students of color and low-income students already face. Researchers offer some recommendations for higher education institutions of how to solve these problems, including data-driven decision making, informative messaging, and expanding student support services.

More than inconvenienced: the unique needs of U.S. college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Lederer, A. M., Hoban, M. T., Lipson, S. K., Zhou, S., & Eisenberg, D. (2021). More Than Inconvenienced: The Unique Needs of U.S. College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Health Education & Behavior, 48(1), 14–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198120969372

- In March 2020, U.S. higher education institutions abruptly and nearly universally shut down college campuses and shifted to online education, in recognition that campuses were high-risk environments for COVID-19 transmission.
- This response was considered a temporary and precautionary measure, but when the late summer 2020 came around, institutions realized that they needed to make major changes for the fall semester, either remaining purely online, implementing a hybrid configuration of classes, or a full return to campus for in-person instruction.
- College students’ lives have been significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the major health risks that this population already faces are even more severe now.

More than inconvenienced: Introduction

Approximately 20 million students are enrolled in higher education institutions annually, comprising 40% of the U.S. population aged 18-24.
- 40% of students are now over the age of 25.
- 44% of students are BIPOC.
- 34% of students are first-generation.

Historically, college students have been overlooked as a priority population for health initiatives due to misconceptions that they are a privileged, resourced, and healthy group. As a result, college students suffer from worryingly high and increasing rates of mental health conditions, particularly depression and anxiety:
- As of 2017, 36% of college students reported having a lifetime mental health diagnosis.
- As of 2019, almost ¼ of college students have been diagnosed or treated for anxiety or depression within the previous 12 months.
- The demand by students for mental health services exceeds the resources available on most campuses, which has led many to declare that there is a mental health crisis on college campuses.

The pandemic has continued to exacerbate college students’ known mental health risk factors and other health concerns, while simultaneously imperiling students’ academic outcomes.

More than inconvenienced: The Collegiate Population

Students’ college experience both in and outside of the classroom, including their engagement in university life and relationships with peers and faculty, is fundamental to their well-being and success.
- The pandemic has eliminated nearly all engagement opportunities for students with remote learning, in addition to the cancelation of study trips, extracurricular activities, internships, and graduation ceremonies.

Students are disproportionately at risk for housing insecurity, with some students fully dependent on their campus accommodations.
- For students whose institutions did not reopen, a lack of housing, as well as food insecurity (due to on-campus dining options also remaining closed) have become major and prolonged dilemmas.

For some students, being home, whether their own or their families’, meant a return to volatile circumstances.
- Reports show that family violence has risen as a result of COVID-19.
- LGBTQ+ students who may be “out” on campus may have returned to hostile or unsupportive families or communities.
- Although some institutions have granted exemptions which allow students with extenuating circumstances to continue to reside on campus, services have been vastly reduced, requiring these students to essentially live in isolation.

Substantial campus- and community-based job loss for students have their families have heightened students’ financial hardships, making it more challenging for them to meet their basic needs.
- This issue, in turn, then additionally contributes to housing and food insecurity.

In the academic realm, the change to remote learning was predicated on students having reliable internet access and technology, which is not the reality for all students, and with the shutdown of businesses or labs which offer this technology to the public, remote learning is made even harder.

Students of color are facing additional challenges:
- AAPI students have encountered mounting discrimination and xenophobia as a result of COVID-19.
- Students from China, who comprise the largest number of international students at American institutions are particularly vulnerable to these experiences due to the geographic origin of COVID-19.
- Disparities in underlying comorbidities, access to and quality of health care, and living and work conditions caused by structural racism have led BIPOC to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

More than inconvenienced: College students and COVID-19

- Using data to guide decisions making is a crucial way for institutions to determine their priorities moving forward, and assessment findings should serve as the foundation for public health and other interventions, which will ideally be instituted at multiple levels within the institution.
- A recent study found that college students have insufficient knowledge about COVID-19, with primary sources of information being the internet and social media, so higher education institutions should better utilize academic resources so they can become trusted sources of information on COVID-19 and support.
- Many institutions already have campus-based resources for students (health, counseling, etc.), and these entities should be prioritized as a critical investment in student success amid budget cuts due to COVID-19.
- Students support services must be established and implemented with an equity lens, recognizing that the most marginalized college populations are especially affected by COVID-19 amidst already existing health disparities and achievement gaps.

Learn Before

Related