University of Oregon graduate student Iryna Stavynska rests in a bed of leaves on campus. Stavynska is studying folklore and is from Ukraine. The university's preliminary fall enrollment numbers show a decline in student enrollment. Colleges across the U.S. — including the University of Oregon — are starting the academic year facing steeper declines in enrollment than years past, especially in the freshman class, due to COVID-19. When enrollment translates to student tuition and fees, which are the leading sources of revenue for most colleges, low numbers put colleges in a financial hot seat.
