Harvard, Princeton Undergraduate Enrollment Drops on Covid Risk

  • Pandemic led some students to stay away, postpone attending
  • Colleges in U.S. struggling with economic fallout from virus
Photographer: Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg
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Harvard and Princeton universities saw enrollment slide this semester as the Covid-19 pandemic spurred some students to stay away.

Harvard College’s enrollment declined almost 20% to 5,382 undergrads in the fall semester, spokeswoman Rachael Dane said Tuesday. Enrollment was 6,716 as of Oct. 15, 2019. The freshman class is about 14% smaller, as more than 200 accepted students notified Harvard that they intend to postpone their attendance to the next academic year.