The Role of Politics in Where Students Want to Go to College

Inside Higher Ed

Scott Jaschik

March 27, 2023

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the Constitution did not guarantee a right to abortion, many expected the result to influence where students chose to enroll at college.

There were anecdotal reports of some students changing colleges, but the timing of the decision, in June, limited students from changing, especially at competitive colleges with strict May 1 deadlines for responding to an offer of admissions.

This is the first year when the decisions students are making about where to enroll will be after that Supreme Court decision—and after a palpable coarsening of relations between conservatives and liberals.

We won’t know the impact for sure until after the May 1 deadlines, or, for more colleges, until students actually enroll. But a new study from the Art & Science Group, being released today, found that nearly one in four high school seniors “ruled out institutions solely due to the politics, policies, or legal situation in the state” where the college was located. Further, the study found that “this behavior was statistically true across liberals, moderates and conservatives.”

In addition, Intelligent.com found that 91 percent of prospective college students in Florida disagree with the education policies of Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and one in eight graduating high school students in Florida won’t attend a public college there due to DeSantis’s education policies.

“Of those who aren’t likely to attend a public school, nearly half (49 percent) say it’s due to DeSantis’ education policies. This group makes up 12 percent of all prospective college students, including those who are in agreement with DeSantis’ education policies. Of students who are likely to attend a public school, 78 percent are concerned his education policies will negatively impact their education,” said Intelligent.com, a website focused on students.

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