The HEAD Foundation wishes you a Happy New Year! May you have a safe and joyful year ahead, as we collectively adapt to these challenging times.

Against the backdrop of the holiday season, the United States is increasing access to higher education, with a US$1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill. On the ground however, the pandemic continues to challenge US college recruitment, with many students visiting prospective campuses virtually - or not at all.

College applications as a whole have gone down, as virtual recruitment hinders students from forming those interpersonal relationships necessary in considering higher education as a pathway. This trend is particularly pronounced in the rural US, where more students are dropping off the grid due to a lack of Internet access and housing insecurity. The number of rural students filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (a sign of whether they are even considering college) has plummeted by more than 18%.

Policy efforts to increase accessibility to Higher Education meet with on-the-ground realities of students’ lived experiences. But will top-down efforts to mitigate challenges to education see positive effects across all strata of students?