College is an expensive place; costs have skyrocketed and students are burdened by trillions in student loan debt. But virtual classes during the pandemic may be changing things.
Higher education expert Jean Burk says some schools will be forced to lower tuition.
"Now that students realize they can stay home, they can do college at home, this is probably gonna be the one thing that's gonna make them say, 'hey, we need to bring our costs down because we want to get the kids back on campus.'"
On the other hand, Burk says lots of students don't want Zoom-only classes.
"Parents are gonna say 'ya know, maybe we shouldn’t send you to a scary, germy place.' But then you're gonna have a lot of kids who are gonna say 'ya know what, this is life, we're gonna jump out there and take advantage of the whole experience.'"
Burk says a little supply and demand will enter the equation.
"The cost of college has gone up 600% in the last 25 years and that's because there's no one telling them they can't increase their prices. All the colleges are now having to rethink the cost of college for every student."
Burk says most students want a college experience; it's a chance to transition to adult life and Greek life can provide good contacts for your career.