Oklahoma college students request 'gap year' amid pandemic

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Students at Oklahoma's two largest universities are deferring enrollment due to uncertainty and fear about their college experience during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tulsa World reports that as of Aug. 8, 89 new students at the University of Oklahoma and 75 students at the Oklahoma State University had requested a deferred enrollment.

This amounts to an 85% increase in deferrals at OU and an 88% rise at OSU.

Kyle Wray, vice president of enrollment and brand management at OSU, says the pandemic has made the 2020 enrollment season fraught with uncertainty and that "Fear is a powerful and motivating factor in so many decisions we make."