Comparison of Findings for Community College Students - Results from Trellis’ Fall 2020 and 2021 Student Financial Wellness Surveys

Oct 15, 2026

A Trellis Research spotlight brief compares results from the Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Surveys (SFWS) for community college students. Key comparisons show improved perceptions of tuition and textbook affordability in 2021, fewer students reporting worry about having enough money to pay for school, and reduced reports of low or very low food security. The analysis uses survey data from 27,739 respondents across 46 colleges in 2020 and 44,254 respondents across 71 colleges in 2021, noting limits from changing participating institutions and student composition.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Key Findings

Method and Comparison Limits

Perceptions of Tuition and Textbook Affordability

Worry About Paying for School

Food Security

Student Loyalty

SPOTLIGHT REPORT BRIEF TRELLIS RESEARCH | JUNE 2022 Comparison of Findings for Community College Students: Results from Trellis’ Fall 2020 and 2021 Student Financial Wellness Surveys Carla Fletcher June 2022 Recommended Citation: Fletcher, C. (2022) . Comparison of findings for community college students: Results from Trellis’ Fall 2020 and 2021 Student Financial Wellness Surveys. Trellis Company. Key Findings • A higher percentage of community college students felt their school made tuition and textbooks more affordable in 2021, compared to 2020. • In 2021, fewer community college students agreed or strongly agreed they were worried about having enough money to pay for school compared to 2020. • A larger percentage of respondents in the fall 2021 survey indicated they would recommend their school to a friend or family member compared to 2020. • Fewer community college respondents reported experiencing low or very low food security in 2021, compared to 2020. While enrollments across all higher education sectors decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, this decline has been particularly steep for community colleges.1 Many colleges and universities across the country instituted tuition freezes during the pandemic as a way to try to retain enrolled students and attract potential students, and relief funds provided by the federal government during the pandemic helped colleges maintain funding and provide students with emergency aid and support services.2,3 These measures provided relief to some students who may have been under financial strain during part of the pandemic. SFWS: Percentage of community college respondents that agree or disagree that their school makes the following items more a ordable.* 65% 68% 41% 45% 14% 11% 37% 31% Tuition Textbooks Agree/Strongly Agree Tuition Textbooks Disagree/Strongly Disagree 2020 2021 *Responses indicating 'Neutral' are not shown TRELLIS RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT REPORT BRIEF This analysis uses data from 27,739 respondents at 46 community colleges that participated in Trellis’ Fall 2020 Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) and 44,254 respondents at 71 community colleges from the Fall 2021 SFWS. The brief focuses on comparisons between the two annual surveys among community college students. The Fall 2020 survey was implemented during the first fall semester of the pandemic, about seven months after the United States locked down when cases began to rise in March 2020. Many colleges across the country moved a large portion of their classes to an online format. This was particularly true in the community college sector.4 Although new variants continued to disrupt plans, colleges were more comfortable opening their campuses to in-person learning by Fall 2021 amid widespread vaccines and the development of more effective treatments for COVID-19 . There are limitations to comparing multiple implementations of the SFWS. Different colleges choose to participate each year, and changes between years may reflect a different student body composition. Additionally, students experiencing the most severe financial challenges may not have been enrolled during the Fall 2021 semester, meaning the more positive scores may reflect the absence of students with the biggest hurdles. Perceptions of Tuition and Textbook Affordability of Survey Respondents Between 2020 and 2021, the percentage of community college students who believed their school made tuition and textbooks more affordable increased. Those who agreed or strongly agreed that their school made tuition more affordable increased from 65 percent to 68 percent, while those who disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement decreased from 14 percent to 11 percent. Similarly, those who believed their school made textbooks more affordable increased from 41 percent to 45 percent, while those who disagreed with this statement decreased from 37 percent to 31 percent. A smaller percentage of commu

FAQs

What changed in students’ perceptions of tuition and textbook affordability between 2020 and 2021?

In 2021, a higher share of community college students agreed their school made tuition and textbooks more affordable, while disagreement declined compared with 2020.

Did worry about having enough money to pay for school improve in 2021?

Yes. Fewer respondents in Fall 2021 reported worrying about having enough money to pay for school, and the share disagreeing or strongly disagreeing increased versus Fall 2020.

How did food security outcomes differ between the two survey years?

Food security showed improvement in 2021, with more respondents reporting high or marginal food security and fewer reporting low or very low food security compared with 2020.

Oct 15, 2026

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