The new normal in higher education goes something like this: uncertainty, disruption, and adapting. IowaWatch reporters recently spoke with students from nearly a dozen schools about the changes they're experiencing because of COVID-19. They worry about their futures and they grieve rites of passage such as graduation, concerts, trips abroad, or simply hanging out with friends.

Still, many remain positive about the future.

Few colleges have committed publicly to keeping facilities closed come autumn, but experts say most are working on contingency plans for that possibility.

For residential institutions whose identities are closely bound to physical experiences—a grassy quad lined with stately trees, an uproarious football stadium, a dorm full of friends—moving college online and convincing students to pay for it will be a challenge.