The future of Donald J. Trump’s presidency remained uncertain in the early hours of Wednesday, as votes continued to be counted in his race against Joseph R. Biden Jr.

The absence of a clear winner in Tuesday’s election, which has been expected to drag on because of a surge in mail-in voting related to the COVID-19 pandemic, left unclear whether higher education is in for four more years of jousting with President Trump or a return to many of the policies that Biden championed as vice president under Barack Obama.

To successfully provide on-campus instruction during the pandemic, colleges had to figure out a way to bring students back to campus safely and without increasing coronavirus case counts on campus and in surrounding towns and cities. 

Now, colleges face another challenge: navigating a holiday that revolves around travel and family gatherings when students could be asymptomatic carriers who don't know they have the coronavirus.