Faculty and advisers this fall semester are reporting higher numbers of students participating in online office hours.  At Florida Atlantic University, students are attending virtual advising appointments in higher than anticipated numbers.  Pre-pandemic, 16% of appointments were missed by students, but that rate has dropped to 8% since the institution shifted to online appointments.  Students value the flexibility of timing as many faculty and advising offices are offering evening office hours.  Expanding online opportunities for students to engage with faculty and support staff will likely be a trend that continues post pandemic.

Several colleges have lowered tuition costs for the fall 2021 semester reports Education Dive this week. Private colleges are the most likely to decrease tuition prices because they can do so without losing much revenue. Seattle Pacific University reduced tuition by 25% and Gordon College did so by 33%.  The goal for many institutions cutting tuition is to incentivize student enrollment for new students and encourage current students to remain at colleges that may be predominantly online for fall 2020.  If institutions remain online for spring, industry experts say tuition cuts may continue.