Go South, Young Man
College-bound students from the Northeast are flocking to southern universities. This is due to cheaper tuition and less political polarization.
We have written several NewsWires on American families migrating to the Sun Belt. Compared to the rest of the country, these states typically have lower taxes, cheaper home prices, and lower unemployment rates. (See “Americans Keep Heading South” and “Why Americans Are Moving to the Red Zone.”) Now, a similar trend is emerging among youth: Students are flocking to southern schools.
According to a recent Axios analysis, college-bound students from Northern states are flocking to schools in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Between 2014 and 2023, student enrollment from Northeastern states rose by +106% at Florida, +230% at Ole Miss, +379% at Tennessee, and +486% at LSU. (The only SEC schools to record a decline were located in the South-Central region.)
A simple average of these growth rates comes out to +106%. By comparison, fall enrollment of new freshmen across all US colleges in all regions (adjusted for size) actually fell by -4% over the same decade.
A Wall Street Journal analysis of DOE data came to the same conclusion: Between 2002 and 2022, seven of the ten states that saw the largest increase in freshmen from the Northeast were in the South. Mississippi recorded a whopping +797% increase.
There are four primary drivers behind this trend.
Cost: A WSJ analysis of the top 100 public research universities found that southern schools had the lowest out-of-state tuition in the country, with a median cost of $29,000. Not only are they more affordable than schools in other regions, but they’re also less selective than Ivy Leagues.
Pandemic Response: Southern colleges resumed in-person learning much earlier than those in New England. Rejecting online classes and high tuition, many students chose schools with fewer restrictions. As shown in the WSJ chart above, enrollment at these Southern schools surged during the pandemic.
Culture: Elite colleges in California and the Northeast were the focal points for pro-Palestinian protests. And these schools have gained a reputation for “wokeness” and drama. In contrast, Southern schools have gained a reputation for fun and sociability: TikTok videos from these colleges highlight tailgating, Greek life, and good weather. Some students just want to get away from the political polarization.
HBCUs: In recent years, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)—most of which are located in the South—have seen a large rise in enrollment. Notably, some Black students are choosing HBCUs even after being accepted into Ivy League institutions. While elite Northeastern schools frequently highlight their DEI efforts, they remain predominantly white, and many minority students report feeling isolated on these campuses.
This enrollment increase at Southern colleges will have long-term population effects on these states. A 2024 paper by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research found that almost half of college grads work in the same metro area as their school, and two-thirds work in the same state.
I'm apart of this trend, as a Californian completing my Masters last year at a university in the South. My biggest reason was that it was extremely affordable, while still being accredited. Also, that it was flexible and accessible being an online program.