Count UMW in!
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information about the Census. Or, watch this Census video for more information about counting college students.
UMW has a Census Complete Count Committee and is dedicated to making sure that everyone counts.
Where are students counted?
Students are counted where they reside on April 1, 2020 AND spend most of their time, which means that the majority of students will be counted in their college community. Therefore, the 2020 Census presents an important opportunity to foster campus-community partnerships to ensure complete counts through education and engagement with some of the hardest-to-count populations in our states.
Who is typically undercounted?
People including in rural communities, communities of color, non-English speaking populations and off-campus, first generation students, as well as students experiencing homelessness, adult, renter and highly mobile students. Colleges and universities have a special responsibility to the communities in which we are situated to ensure a complete count in the 2020 Census because it will directly impact political representation for the next decade and impact funding and other decisions guided by census data.
Who is most affected by undercounting?
Students from diverse socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds and first-generation students have the greatest potential to be most impacted by Census undercounts. Engaging with these groups, our campuses can emphasize how they can be leaders by educating their families and other members of hard-to-count populations, and helping them to complete the 2020 Census. In addition, rural-serving institutions can play an important role in the communities that face particular challenges as the Census transitions to an online survey.
Download our online resources: 2020 Census: Count Colleges In (PDF) and 2020 Census: the Basics (PDF).
For more information, visit our Census Counts page or learn what colleges and universities can do to encourage participation in the Census.
About the 2020 Census Process |
The 2020 Census will be a monumental undertaking and faces a number of challenges because of politics, budget restrictions, employing new technology (2020 is the first time the Census Bureau will be urging most households to submit their census responses online), and because social media amplifies the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
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