STUDY: College Students Cash-Strapped Due to COVID-19 Are Applying for Scholarships at Unprecedented Rates

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholarship app Scholly released their COVID-19 Student Impact Report today, which includes key insights into the unique challenges facing college students this academic year, along with students' thoughts on returning to the classroom as opposed to learning from home.

"Our entire mission at Scholly is to help students, and it was important for us to connect with them to find out more about the unique challenges they are facing during this pandemic," says Scholly Founder Christopher Gray. The scholarship app, which has helped students to win more than $100 million in scholarship awards since its inception, has seen a 400 percent increase in downloads since the end of March, signaling for them the dire need of students for additional funds for school. 

"A big takeaway from the study is that students are looking for scholarship money now at higher-than-usual rates," says Gray. "That's not surprising given the current state of our economy, but it's telling that so many students - more than 50% - have significantly ramped up their search. This surge in scholarship need is unprecedented."

The study also gathered key insights from more than 3,000 students about their thoughts on heading back to campus for the fall semester. While 70 percent of students felt they'd be adversely impacted by online learning, only 26 percent of the respondents felt classes should be in-person for the remainder of 2020. 

"We are already seeing a spike in cases on college campuses due to parties and irresponsible students. It's unfair to those who really just want to be safe and go to school. This is the only way to keep everyone safe until there is a vaccine," says first-year student Rachel. "Students might not be high-risk, but that doesn't mean we can't spread to those who are."  

Additional key insights from the study include:

• 65% of high school students and 60% of college students are attending school 100% remote for the Fall 2020 semester.
   
• 65% of high school students report being provided with a computer or laptop while only 16% of college students are being provided with the same
   
• Despite the sudden and unprecedented shift to online learning in March 2020, 70% of students say their instructors did an adequate job with distance learning.
   
• Over 70% of student athletes have had their seasons cancelled or postponed until next spring, with hard-hitting effects on both high school and college athletes.

Click HERE to view the full COVID-19 Student Impact Survey Recap Report.

SOURCE Scholly