A large portion of college-bound students are reconsidering their plans amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports USA Today.
Reasons vary from being unable to see campuses, having to conduct course work online and a rising number in layoffs around the U.S.
An estimated 28 million Americans have canceled education plans, according to a survey conducted by the Strada Education Network, and the number of people intending to pursue more education or training as a path forward has not increased in the last year.
Strada polled 5,000 adults in its survey.
Another poll conducted by the Art & Science Group LLC found that 40 percent of students have not yet made a deposit and that the vast majority are uncertain they can stay with their first choice.
Around 1 in six, or seventeen percent, of the respondents in the study who, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, had planned to attend college or university are near the point of giving up on attending a 4-year institution full-time in the fall.
Weekly jobless claims hit 3.84 million last week, higher than economist expectations of 3.5 million.
The total brings the rolling six-week figure to 30.3 million as part of the worst employment crisis in U.S. history.