College Students Covid19

Top Reasons College Students Dropping out due to COVID-19

College students
Written by Kunal Vaghasiya

Around the world, COVID-19 has disrupted learning for most college students. They have been forced to turn online for their studies, but this does not apply to all students worldwide. International students have had to go back home because there is no learning going on in the colleges. Some students are even suing their universities, demanding their money for the facilities they have paid for like athletics programs, interaction with professors, etc. The situation has made several students decide to drop out of college due to the virus’s spread.

Apart from that, low-income students can no longer afford to pay for college education, given the imbalance of the economy caused by Coronavirus. In this article, we will look at the top reasons why most students have decided to drop out due to the disease outbreak.

Why Students are Dropping Out 

Ever since COVID-19 started, students have been leaving school. There are specific reasons that have hugely contributed to the increased rate of college drop out. Here are the top reasons.

The Educational Schedule Was Disrupted

All around the world, governments have decided to close schools to prevent the spread of the virus. Students have not been able to effectively proceed with their learning, and some have opted to drop out of school and find something better to do. Although some governments have tried reopening schools, it has not been possible because of the social distance measures.

Only those who have been able to afford the expensive curriculums are learning while the rest are at home. This will have a huge impact on society as students will engage in harmful activities such as drug use.

Worsened Financial State

Ever since the crisis, most students have failed to afford a lot of things on campus. Food and transport have become expensive, and that is what they need daily to survive in college. Due to such reasons, some students have decided to drop out temporarily as they wait for things to get better. Who knows how many students would have to leave school by the end of the pandemic due to financial constraints.

Additionally, some students already have huge debts, and they cannot risk borrowing more as they may fail to pay. Therefore, they find dropping out is an easier option as they try to make ends meet for themselves and their families.

The Spread of COVID-19 Virus

As mentioned earlier, it is not acceptable for all students to stay in one classroom. The spread of the virus in school has risen, and students are afraid of contracting the virus. They also fear for their families as the disease is transmitted from one person to the next. Hence, they prefer staying at home to protect themselves.

This has led to many dropouts globally as students are at home and are no longer under teachers’ supervision. Other students have started homeschooling and will not go back to college since they feel their time is wasted. On the other hand, colleges have reduced the number of students they admit each semester.

Students Enrollment in Colleges

The number of students’ intake in colleges has greatly reduced to almost 8% nationwide due to the pandemic. Most students will not make it to the next semester, and others may fail to graduate. What’s worse is that reports say that the situation is not about to change any time soon.

So where will the other students go? It is yet to be determined depending on the level of cases reported daily. Students will have to use other learning methods like the internet as it is bot realistic to enroll all the students in the program. 

Closure of School Hostels

After the struck of COVID-19, students were asked to leave the hostels, and some had no place to stay. Most were forced to go home since they could not afford to rent houses from landlords. Some are still at home and have been forced to delay their studies as they wait for the situation to get better.

Unexpected Expenses

Most students have given up due to the extra cost they are required to pay to continue learning. Since they do not have access to college facilities, they are forced to buy laptops, books, pay for the internet, and their bills are rising every day. This is very challenging for college students, and they are left with the decision of dropping out so that they can pay for rent and feed themselves.

These expenses are supposed to be covered by the college, and since the schools are closed due to Coronavirus, students may fail to attend all the online classes. It is because the materials may be too expensive for them.

 No Internet access and Long Commutes

Rural students struggle with the internet and have to walk or travel long distances to get to their campus. This is very frustrating for most students, especially low-income students, as they cannot keep up with the rest of what is going on in class. Plus, some students are not good with online classes and cannot complete their assignments in time.

Work lay-off for Both Students and Parents

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, most people were laid-off, both working students and some parents. Many students dropped out of school as they had no one and no money to support them.


COVID-19 has led to an increased number of college dropouts than before. Students are not able to keep up with the learning process on the internet. The food and transport expenses increase over time, making it hard for students to survive in college.

Apart from that, parents and students are laid-off every day. Hence, they find it hard to pay tuition fees. Although some of these reasons are uncontrollable, dropping out of school is not a solution as it will delay your graduation. In case you need help with your assignments, you can get essay help at home. This will help in fastening your school curriculum before everything gets back to normal.

About the author

Kunal Vaghasiya

Kunal Vaghasiya is the writing adviser for International students that seek rapid paper assistance. Kunal shares helpful suggestions on writing, productivity, study, references. Occasionally Kunal goes off-topic by discussing his personal experience peppered with playful humor.

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