According to a recent survey, over 25% of college applicants have dismissed schools based on the political situation in their states.

This sentiment crosses the political spectrum.

Students who identify as liberal often steer clear of colleges located in states with strict abortion restrictions or relaxed gun laws, while conservative applicants tend to avoid schools in states with progressive LGBTQ legislation and loose crime regulations.

The survey was conducted by Art & Science Group, a consulting and research firm focused on higher education.

Nanci Tessier, a principal at the firm, noted, “When students are willing to disregard an entire state or its schools before even applying, it signals how critical these issues are to young people today.”

In light of declining college enrollments, school leaders have become increasingly cautious about how state politics may deter potential students.

Some candidates turn down colleges based on their location

Earlham College, a national liberal arts institution in Richmond, Indiana—which has enacted strict abortion laws—has seen prospective students tell admissions staff they wouldn’t consider applying because of where the school is located.

Paul Sniegowski, president of Earlham, mentioned, “It’s not common, but it does happen.” He considers this a concerning trend and proposes that colleges, including Earlham, should use the current political divide as a chance for education.

“College should be about encountering and reflecting on differences,” he stated.

According to researchers, partisan politics present unique challenges, especially for colleges attracting students from all over the country. Tessier indicates that approximately 75% of students typically enroll in institutions within their own states.

Conservative students bypass California; liberals avoid Florida

Research shows that applicants avoiding certain states for political reasons tend to shy away from those with notable political figures and controversies. Conservative applicants are less likely to consider New York and California, while liberal applicants often exclude Texas, Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

The speculation that college applicants disregard entire states based on their political atmosphere had circulated informally within admissions circles.

Earlier this year, Art & Science Group set out to verify this claim, creating what they described as the first comprehensive survey on the topic, leading to further exploratory studies.

Jarett Smith, senior vice president at Echo Delta, another higher education consultancy, remarked, “It appears that students frequently factor politics into their college selection process, comparable to the importance of quality of education, reputation, and campus life.”

Throughout generations, it seems many applicants have chosen to reject colleges, states, and even regions due to political considerations.

However, local politics gained significant focus in college admissions in 2022 following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion, prompting many conservative states to impose stricter abortion laws.

This recent report from Art & Science Group is based on surveys conducted in the spring with 1,579 high school seniors planning to enroll in college this fall. This research was timely, as a major election that has re-centered discussions on abortion rights and gun laws was approaching.

According to Tessier, “With the election just six months away, we aimed to assess whether concerns had intensified or eased since our initial survey.”

The results show that applicants are increasingly worried about state politics. In the first survey, 24% of students indicated they eliminated colleges based on political factors. This figure climbed to 28% in the subsequent survey.

Concerns over abortion laws affect students from all sides

Both abortion rights and gun control are critical issues for many students, irrespective of their political beliefs, according to researchers.

A distinct survey conducted by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation revealed that abortion laws are significant to a majority of current and future college students: 81% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans expressed concern. Among these, a large percentage prefer states with more permissive abortion laws, including 63% of Republicans and 86% of Democrats. This survey reached nearly 7,000 people in late 2023.

A recent survey revealed that 80% of participants indicated that gun regulations on campus influenced their choice of college. Among them, a significant majority expressed a preference for stricter gun laws: 71% of Republicans and 91% of Democrats.

“Even in traditionally conservative states, these policies are not very popular, at least among the students we surveyed,” stated Zach Hrynowski, a senior education researcher at Gallup, referencing restrictive abortion laws and lenient gun regulations.

Another issue of concern for college students and potential applicants revolves around “divisive concepts.”

In an executive order from 2020, former President Donald Trump outlined topics deemed inappropriate for discussion in federal employee training sessions, including the view that the U.S. is inherently racist or sexist. Various states attempted to implement similar restrictions in public colleges and universities, according to reports from Gallup and Lumina.

The survey indicated that a considerable majority of students take these policies into account when deciding where to enroll. In fact, most respondents, from both Democratic and Republican backgrounds, preferred attending colleges in states that do not impose limits on education about race and gender.

Differing Concerns Among Liberal and Conservative Students

The recent poll by Art & Science Group highlights the differences in concerns between liberal and conservative college applicants.

The results indicate that liberal students tend to be more affected by state politics compared to their conservative counterparts; 35% of liberal applicants mentioned avoiding states based on their political views, while 29% of conservatives did the same.

Furthermore, the survey revealed distinct worries among applicants from different political backgrounds.

Liberal applicants expressed a variety of concerns regarding conservative states, particularly in relation to abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, gun laws, racial equity, environmental policies, and cannabis regulations.

On the other hand, conservative students were less likely to reject states based on specific policies; instead, they often feared an environment perceived as overly liberal, identified as being “too Democratic.” They also raised concerns regarding liberal laws related to LGBTQ rights and crime.

Interestingly, many liberal students also stated they steered clear of states considered “too lenient on crime,” reflecting a common concern shared with conservative students.

Most Students Identify as Moderates

Research indicates that college applicants are particularly aware of state politics because a majority do not view themselves as strongly partisan, even if they associate with a political party.

According to a survey conducted earlier this year by Echo Delta, about half of college-bound students define themselves as political moderates. Only around 10% of prospective college students consider themselves to be very politically active.

The Echo Delta survey, which was conducted in March, included responses from 1,044 high school students planning to attend college in the next three years.

Researchers found that students exhibited hesitation when considering colleges in highly politicized red and blue states; conservatives were wary of California and New York, while liberals expressed concerns about Texas, Florida, and much of the Southern United States.

“One Florida college noted that they had identified at least 50 potential students who expressed interest in their institution but opted not to enroll due to the political climate in the state,” Smith reported.