COLUMBUS, Ohio — It's too early to tell exactly what colleges and universities will do with all of the fallout from COVID-19.

But what is certain, schools including Otterbein University will consider adjusting their admissions evaluations by looking at a student's living environment and access to education, especially online, during COVID-19.

• Colleges may end up requesting more seventh semester grades from the class of 2021 than before to determine admissions
• Students on the bubble with grades below a "C" may be at a disadvantage
• Students hoping to get into selective colleges and programs may have to wait or demonstrate their ability to do the work before admission into programs like nursing, engineering or education

Otterbein University's Vice President of Enrollment Management Jefferson Blackburn-Smith says they may also look more at other admission components like extracurricular activities, after school jobs and community service.

"We also want to look at the transcript itself and understand what courses are being taken in the context of that individual school. So is the student taking the most rigorous curriculum they can be successful in based on what's offered," said Blackburn-Smith.

With districts across the state considering best options for grading, be it letter grades or pass/fail, colleges are subject to adjust the requirements. 

"I think that will be different. I think there might be more requests for seventh semester grades," said Blackburn-Smith.

Those requests may pose a problem for students who are on the bubble with grades below a "C" and in districts that choose the pass/fail option.

"The student that was doing well and then took a nosedive at the end of their sophomore year, beginning of their junior year, we don't know if they've recovered. Um...the student that was doing poorly and was starting to get better,.we don't know if they did get better."

That's because a pass/fail does boost or lower GPA, which means schools would want to see pre-COVID-19 grade averages. 

So for those who saw their grades drop significantly or slacked off in the beginning of high school but decided to buckle down recently, they may find themselves at a disadvantage since they wouldn't have another set of good grades to rely upon. Without those, that could hinder admission into their school of choice.

But Blackburn-Smith said those kids aren't the ones who may be most impacted.

"Students that would be most impacted might be those that are looking at those selective schools or that are looking at selective programs in schools that are not selective."

Essentially, students may have to wait to get into programs like nursing or teaching that have requirements. Waiting in some cases would involve demonstrating their ability to do the work first before program admission, which could delay graduation timelines.

But regardless of what changes colleges end up making, the class of 2021 should be prepared to make adjustments too. Blackburn-smith said that includes keeping an open mind about school choice and looking for the best academic, social and financial fit to thrive.