Student Trust in Higher Education Institutions: How the Pandemic Influenced Undergraduate Trust

Abstract

This article examines trust perceptions among college/university students before and after COVID-19 campus closures in spring 2020. Using a special NSSE set of trust items, we measured students’ trust in key campus actors and social institutions. Our interests included examining trust level differences across student subgroups and the impact of these shifts in sentiment on their relationship with their campus and sense of belonging. We found a trivial change in trust in colleges and social institutions before and after the pandemic. However, this overall result masks important differences between student subgroups. We offer recommendations for educational scholars and practitioners.