Replication Data for: Covid, College, and Classes

At the start of the 2020 school year, some colleges chose to reopen in person while others offered primarily online classes. We find that colleges responded to financial and other incentives largely as one might expect. Larger shares of revenue attributed to in-person activities, such as dorms and dining halls, led schools to reopen in person. In general, the share of revenue due to tuition and fees had little association with reopening in-person, which is consistent with the idea that the effect of the mode of reopening on enrollment was ambiguous. However, private schools experiencing financial distress due to tuition and fees were more likely to reopen in-person while public schools were less likely. Public colleges were influenced by political pressures and the fraction of students from out of state, while private schools responded to the severity of COVID in their local community.

2020学年伊始，部分高校选择恢复线下授课，其余院校则主要开设线上课程。本研究发现，高校在财务激励与其他激励因素作用下的响应行为大体符合普遍预期：营收中源自宿舍、食堂等线下办学活动的占比越高，该校越倾向于恢复线下授课。总体而言，学杂费营收占比与高校线下复课决策的关联度极低，这与"复课模式对招生规模的影响尚不明确"这一观点相一致。不过，因学杂费收入陷入财务困境的私立高校更大概率选择线下复课，而公立高校则呈现相反趋势。公立院校的复课决策受政治压力及非本州学生占比的影响，私立院校则会结合所在社区的新冠疫情（COVID）严重程度做出响应。