A new poll of U.S. college students offers an insightful—and sobering—glimpse into how the pandemic is disrupting students’ plans to stay in college, learn online, and earn their degrees.

The Fall 2020 State of the Student Experience report from Gallup and Lumina Foundation surveyed about 6,000 students seeking degrees (most of them learning remotely) and 2,000 adults who left school without a degree. It reveals that while many students give high marks to the quality of their education, they fear that pandemic pressures will hurt their ability to stay in school.

Like many people during the pandemic, Fulisha Lilian Oscar, 36, has a lot going on in her life. As a single mother of six, she balances caring for a family with her studies at Madera Community College. She also works remotely for the college’s financial aid office. At times, she worries about keeping food on the table for her children.

She's not alone. Financial aid administrators say the most immediate need before Congress is more CARES Act money to help struggling students like Oscar.

While campuses are growing more diverse, minorities tend to be concentrated within certain majors rather than integrated across fields of study, according to a new report.

The study, from the Urban Institute, argues that racial and ethnic segregation by major may play a role in students of color ending up in fewer high-paying jobs.