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COVID-19 Diagnoses and University Student Performance: Evidence from Linked Administrative Health and Education Data

Timothy F. Harris,
C. Lockwood Reynolds

We analyze the impact of COVID-19 diagnoses on student grades, retention, and on-time graduation at a large public university. Even though COVID-19 rarely causes major health complications for a typical university student, diagnosis and quarantine may cause non-trivial disruptions to learning. Using event study analysis, we find that a COVID-19 diagnosis decreased a student's term grade point average (GPA) modestly by 0.08 points in the semester of diagnosis without significant effects afterward. The results were the most pronounced for male students, individuals with face-to-face instruction, and those with higher GPAs before the pandemic. We do not find a significant increase in the incidence of failing or withdrawing from a course due to diagnosis. In addition, we find no general evidence that the diagnoses delayed graduation or significantly altered first-year retention. However, the University experienced significant grade inflation during the pandemic, which exceeded the estimated effects of any COVID-19 diagnoses.

Keywords
COVID-19, Higher Education, Student Success, Student absences
Education level
Post-secondary education
Topics
Student Well-Being and Mental Health
Tags
Covid-19 recovery,
Student supports
Download 07/2023
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/pr0m-4z58
EdWorkingPaper suggested citation:
Harris, Timothy F., and C. Lockwood Reynolds. (). COVID-19 Diagnoses and University Student Performance: Evidence from Linked Administrative Health and Education Data. (EdWorkingPaper: -810). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/pr0m-4z58

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