Published by The Advocate
College applicants are ruling out universities based on the politics of the state they reside in, and LGBTQ+ students are being particularly vigilant.
Over a quarter of applicants (28 percent) said that they "exclude schools solely based on political considerations in the state where the institution is located," according to a recent survey from the Art & Science Group.
Texas was the most rejected state, earning the top spot among both liberals and moderates. Which states students ruled out largely fell along party lines, with conservative students more likely to rule out New York and California, and liberal students more likely to rule out Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Moderate students also excluded California, Florida, and New York.
The report noted that conservative students cited few — if any — specific policies that influenced their decision to rule out schools in liberal states, citing instead the "broad" concern that the states are "too Democratic," with a smaller amount saying states were too accepting of LGBTQ+ people.
Meanwhile, "substantial majorities" of liberal students named a "long list of particular policy issues," with “abortion and reproductive rights” and “too Conservative LGBTQ+ laws” at the top. Moderates' top concerns were states being "too lenient on crime" and "too Republican," as well as the notion that "liberal voices are suppressed" in certain states.
When it came to students' willing to reject states based on politics, researchers found "no significant differences based on ideological affiliation," with 33 percent moderate, 26 percent liberal, 23 percent conservative, and 18 percent undecided reporting they would do so. However, LGBTQ+ students were "more likely to exclude schools based on the state the schools are located in."
A 17-year-old transgender girl in New Jersey, Rebekah, toldThe Advocate in its November/December cover story on trans youth that she has to consider states' anti-LGBTQ+ laws as she applies to colleges this year. While she hasn't chosen a school yet, Rebekah said she’s “looking northeast because of safeties.”
“It's been really interesting to see how my peers go about this college finding process, because they don't really have to think about their safety as much,” she said.