Undergraduate enrollment intentions and willingness-to-pay for online to in-person teaching modalities: Capturing heterogeneity across and within universities in the United States during the pandemic

This study analyzes undergraduate students' enrollment intentions and preferences for alternate teaching modalities during the pandemic under a range of reopening scenarios and flexible teaching modalities to investigate the value of flexible learning options and campus life offerings for students. Using primary survey data from six land-grant universities, our findings suggest that there is no one-size-fits-all policy for tackling significant shocks like the pandemic. Business-as-usual was the most divisive, with wide differences in preferences both within and across universities. These results have important implications for future responses to major disruptions in higher education.