A new survey of 4,003 researchers at U.S. four-year colleges found that 11 percent of faculty working under restrictive state policies are planning to leave — either for another state, another field, or another country. In states that have passed divisive concepts legislation, 16 percent of professors are actively considering leaving. For students deciding where to go to college, this represents a real but underrated risk to faculty quality over the next four years.

The Ithaka S+R report released April 20, 2026 put numbers to something many academics had been saying anecdotally: professors in politically restrictive states are voting with their feet.1

The survey, titled "The Impact of State and Federal Policies on Academic Researchers," collected responses from 4,003 faculty at U.S. four-year colleges and universities between September and November 2025. It is one of the largest surveys of faculty academic freedom conducted in recent years, reaching 225,663 higher education email addresses to gather its sample.

What the Survey Found

The headline number is 11 percent. That's the share of all respondents who said that federal and state policies restricting their research are compelling them to seek employment out of state, leave academia, or look for positions overseas.1

That figure rises significantly in states with the most restrictive policies:

  • In states with laws restricting academic speech, 1 in 10 faculty are actively seeking jobs in other states.
  • In states where divisive concepts legislation has become law, 16 percent of faculty are considering leaving for a college or university in a different state.
  • 6 percent of all respondents said they are trying to leave academia entirely.
  • 4 percent sought employment in another country in the past year specifically because of restrictions on their research activity.

16%

The survey also found widespread self-censorship. Twenty percent of all respondents said they had avoided certain research topics because of state laws and policies. In states with divisive concepts legislation, that number climbed to 29 percent — nearly 3 in 10 researchers.

Federal pressure is adding to state pressure. Eight percent of respondents said they had a federal research grant cancelled in 2025 — a figure that reflects the wave of federal research funding cuts and NSF disruptions that began in early 2025.

The Academic Freedom Numbers Are Stark

Beyond the question of who is leaving, the survey documents how faculty feel about their day-to-day freedom. More than 1 in 3 respondents said they have less academic freedom than they did before:

  • 35% reported less freedom when it comes to teaching content without interference
  • 36% reported less freedom to speak freely as citizens
  • 38% reported less freedom when participating in institutional governance

One survey respondent described current federal policies as "beyond perilous for the system of higher education, and will have a far-reaching impact on the quality of life in the US and the world."1

The broader global context reinforces this concern. According to the 2026 update of the Academic Freedom Index, institutional autonomy in the United States has deteriorated 50 percent since 2015 and is now rated only "moderate" — placing it well below where it stood as recently as 2021, when the U.S. was among the highest-scoring countries on the index.2

When evaluating colleges, look beyond rankings and acceptance rates. A school's policy environment — state laws governing what can be taught, state budget cuts to specific programs, and how loudly university leaders have defended faculty — all shape the quality of the education you'll actually receive.

Why This Matters for Students Choosing a College

When students pick a college, they're often thinking about acceptance rates, scholarships, and campus life. The faculty who will actually teach them — and more importantly, whether those faculty will still be there in their junior and senior years — rarely makes the list.

It should.

A professor who leaves mid-program takes with them research opportunities, mentorship connections, and academic program depth. At research universities, graduate student availability and research lab access depend heavily on faculty continuity. For students planning to use a professor's lab or graduate program connections, faculty turnover in restrictive states is a practical risk, not just a political concern.

The college degree ROI calculation changes when the faculty teaching your major are concentrated in states where 16 percent of researchers in that environment are planning to leave. At historically Black colleges and universities, many of which are located in southern states with restrictive policies, this pressure has been particularly acute.

If you are applying to colleges in states where divisive concepts laws or anti-DEI legislation has passed, ask specifically: Has the school lost faculty in the past two years because of state policies? What programs have been eliminated? Has the university president publicly defended research faculty? These are not political questions — they are questions about whether the school will still offer what you came for.

What's Driving Faculty Out

The survey points to three compounding pressures:

State-level legislation. Laws restricting how faculty can teach about race, gender, sexuality, and other topics don't just limit what professors say — they create legal exposure. Faculty who research these topics face a choice between adjusting their research agenda or leaving.

Federal funding disruptions. The 2025 cancellation of hundreds of federal grants sent a signal to researchers that certain fields and approaches would be defunded. Eight percent of survey respondents lost a grant in 2025 alone. The NSF disruptions hit graduate students especially hard, compressing the research pipelines that feed professional programs.

Program cuts. States have also moved to eliminate entire degree programs on fiscal and ideological grounds. Indiana's elimination of 580 degree programs in April 2026 represents the most sweeping version of this trend — but similar cuts have happened elsewhere at a smaller scale, with more likely coming.

What Students Can Do

For students who are still choosing between schools, this data strengthens the case for asking harder questions at admitted students days and campus visits. The college planning essentials guide covers what factors matter most in choosing a school — and faculty stability deserves to be on that list, particularly for students planning to pursue research, graduate school, or programs that require close faculty mentorship.

For students already enrolled, the practical steps are:

  • Build relationships with multiple faculty mentors, not just one
  • Know your school's procedures if a program changes or a professor leaves mid-year
  • Identify alternative paths to your research or mentorship goals if your state's funding environment shifts further

The survey won't tell you which specific professors at which specific schools are planning to leave. But it confirms that the pattern is real, that it's concentrated in states with restrictive policies, and that the scale is large enough to matter when you're making a four-year commitment.

Footnotes

  1. Ruediger, D., McCracken, C., et al. (2026, April 20). The Impact of State and Federal Policies on Academic Researchers. Ithaka S+R. https://sr.ithaka.org/publications/the-impact-of-state-and-federal-policies-on-academic-researchers/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Academic Freedom Index. (2026). Academic Freedom Index Update 2026. https://academic-freedom-index.net/research/Academic_Freedom_Index_Update_2026.pdf ↩