A new survey from CollegeIQ has documented how the opinions of high school students on various local and state policies affect their decisions on where to apply to and attend college.
Over 600 high school juniors and seniors from diverse geographic, demographic, and political backgrounds completed the survey regarding how campus gun laws, DEI laws, LGBTQIA+ friendliness, abortion laws, and local politics impacted their college choices. Black students surveyed were most concerned with gun laws and local DEI policies.
The most important issue among all students surveyed related to gun laws. About 63 percent of students said campus carry gun laws have at least a moderate impact on their college choice, and 37 percent stated these laws have a significant impact. Among Black students, 70 percent said campus gun laws have at least a moderate impact, and 45 percent said these laws significantly impact their college choice. The majority of all students who are concerned about campus gun laws stated they would prefer a college with more restrictive gun laws.
Local and state diversity, equity, and inclusion laws were the second most important factor that students consider when deciding what college to attend. Roughly 46 percent stated these laws have at minimum a moderate impact on their choice of college. This rate was higher among Black students, 53 percent of whom stated DEI laws were moderately or significantly important to them. Among all students who said DEI laws had a significant impact on their college decision-making, nearly 80 percent said they prefer to attend a college in a state that does not restrict DEI initiatives. Black students were more likely than students from other racial backgrounds to have this opinion.
