The impact of politics on colleges and universities across the country is doing more than just making headlines. It’s also driving prospective colleges students away from certain states, according to a new study from Art & Science.
One in four high school seniors in the survey reported that they were ruling out certain campuses based on the politics, policies, or unfolding legal situations in certain states. The findings held true across the political spectrum, with self-identified liberal students (31 percent), conservative students (28 percent) and moderates (22 percent) all reporting they avoided certain states.
The states most likely to be ruled out by students: Alabama (38 percent), Texas (29 percent), Louisiana and Florida (both 21 percent).
Students who identified as liberal-leaning say they were more likely to rule out schools in the South or Midwest, while conservative-leaning students were more likely to rule out New York and California.
Far more conservative students (32 percent) said they were likely to rule out schools in their home state, a finding the study’s authors said may be explained by New York and California being two of the nation’s most populated states.
You can view the study online.