Nearly Half of Graduating IA Seniors Change Plans Due to COVID-19

College is important, but college is expensive and right now, a lot of a families are hurting due to the financial impacts of COVID-19. Sadly, that is directly effecting those in the recently graduated class of 2020.

Nearly 30% of the high school graduating seniors from the class of 2020 are not planning to attend college right away this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to a news study from Junior Achievement USA. Of those included in the study, nearly half, 44%, say COVID-19 has impacted in some way the plans they had to pay for college. For the students who are still looking to go to college, 58% claim that they are now more likely to take out a student loan to pay for their college education.

Many teens in the study also were hit by the wave of unemployment that has followed the pandemic. 25% told the survey they've lost their job as a result of COVID-19. Now, those are national numbers. In Iowa, according to WalletHub, we're the 6th least hit states for unemployment claims.

With many, dare I say most, businesses having reopened, even partially, here's to hoping the future of America are able to work and/or attend school. We need those minds to help us prevent future pandemics!