How to Control College Costs in the Age of COVID-19

Facing the prospect of declining enrollment, many colleges are becoming more creative in order to attract and keep potential students.

A student on the campus of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 18, 2018. Harrison McClary/Reuters

NEW YORK—Tina Smets had long thought about getting a college degree, but that seemed impossible.

As a mom of three kids, waitressing nights at a local restaurant in Kearney, Nebraska, the 31-year-old did not want to saddle her young family with tons of student debt.