Examining Role of 1-Year Online College Can Improve Access to Higher Learning

Purpose: This study aims to address the diminishing access to top universities by investigating and proposing alternative solutions to allow for additional deserving students admittance into highly selective universities. Results: Admittance to top universities have been steadily declining over the past 20 years, which has only been exasperated recently due to the global pandemic. As college admission committees continue to modify their assessment criterions, this has caused some consternation among high schoolers who feel their chances of getting admitted to various schools fluctuate with every news release. Through literature review and analysis, this study examines the benefits and challenges of utilizing a 1-year online offering to help bolster admission rates. From research evidence, the benefits of a 1-year online structure are reduced cost to the student, enhanced networking, and study abroad opportunities while the benefit to the universities are increased inflow of tuition dollars and greater alumni base for potential future donation support. However, online learning presents numerous challenges, such as isolation and decreased motivation. This study addresses these issues by proposing schools pool their additional capital to fund offsite communal shared spaces for the very purpose of enabling face to face socialization and learning. Conclusion: The results conclude that setting up an online learning environment for 1-year (this study used sophomore year as an example) will allow additional students to be admitted. Students can still gain social connections while realizing significant financial savings off their college bill. Universities will generate incremental revenue which, in part, can fund initiatives such as scholarships, on-campus facilities, and shared offsite classroom spaces for remote students.