How State Politics Changes College Lists

Three years ago, fewer than one in four high school seniors said they crossed a college off their list because of state politics. This year, that number hit one in three.

That is the main finding of Art & Science Group's studentPOLL, released October 13, 2026, based on surveys of more than 1,300 U.S. high school seniors.¹ The data covers two waves of the 2025–26 admissions cycle — winter (February–March 2026) and summer — and the trend in both is the same: politics is entering the college search earlier, and it is eliminating more schools from more lists.

34% — Up from 28% in 2024 and 24% in 2023, per Art & Science Group's studentPOLL

What the Poll Found

The 34% who cut schools solely over state politics is only part of the picture. Counting students who said politics played some role — even if it was not the only reason — the share of applicants affected rises to roughly half of all respondents in both the winter and summer 2026 waves.¹

The timing matters. Among students who ruled out a college over politics, 73% said it came into play when they first started thinking about which schools to consider. Another 59% said it mattered when deciding where to apply.²

That means many students are eliminating schools at the very start of the search — before campus visits, before talking to current students, and often before looking at any college-specific data.

A conservative state can have an active, politically mixed campus — and a blue state can have campuses where certain students feel out of place. Research the campus, not just the zip code. Look at student government, campus newspapers, and official club directories to get a real picture.

Three Things Worth Knowing Before You Cut a School

State law and campus life are two different things. A state legislature passing a particular law does not automatically mean every student on that state's public campuses is affected the same way, or that private colleges in that state follow the same policies. Policies at the university level can differ substantially from what a state government is doing. Before you decide between two schools, look at what the campus itself has done, not only where it sits on a map.

Filtering by state politics early has real costs. Students who eliminate states at the beginning of the process are often skipping schools that might have been the best fit academically, financially, or socially. Given that financial aid packages vary enormously by school, removing options before you see award letters can mean leaving money on the table. A school 10 miles across a state line might offer a dramatically different scholarship than the school you defaulted to.

Not all campus-climate research is equal. The most common approach is to scan social media for controversy, which captures the loudest voices and not the typical experience. More reliable sources: the school's published nondiscrimination policies, student-run newspapers, and conversations with current students in your specific department or housing situation. For students concerned specifically about LGBTQ+ campus climate, our guide to LGBTQ+-friendly colleges covers how to evaluate support resources and policies school by school.

There are situations where state-level policy directly affects a student's legal rights or financial situation — not just the general campus atmosphere. If you are an undocumented student, an international student, or depend on specific state-funded programs, state law is directly relevant to your decision. In those cases, ruling out a state is not generalization; it is practical planning. Know the difference.

What to Actually Research

If you want to understand a campus beyond its state's politics, here is what produces better signal than reading headlines:

• Faculty and staff open letters or statements — When a campus community has responded publicly to specific policies, that record tells you more than a governor's voting history.
• Student activity directories — Active, funded student groups around your interests or identity signal an administration that at least permits them.
• Campus newspaper archives — A year of local coverage gives you the actual texture of campus life, disputes, and how administration handles them.
• Admissions office Q&A — Ask directly. A vague answer or a refusal to engage is useful data on its own.

The how to choose a college guide walks through a full framework, and demonstrated interest tactics — like visiting a campus or attending a virtual info session — can also be the moment you get real answers from people on the ground.

For broader context on why politics and higher education have become so entangled, a GOP higher-ed support study traces the 30-year shift in Republican party platform language on colleges. Gallup's public confidence survey from July shows how those shifts are landing with the broader public.

Your Application List Right Now

If you are a senior finalizing your list this fall, here is a practical question to ask: For every school I removed because of state politics, do I know what the campus itself has done? If the answer is no, it may be worth a 20-minute research pass before the application deadline closes the door.

Cutting a school from your list is always your call. Just make sure the cut is based on what you actually found, not only where the school is located.

Footnotes

1. Art & Science Group. (2026, October 13). studentPOLL: Politics and College Choice. Higher Ed Dive. https://www.highereddive.com/news/more-students-are-ruling-out-colleges-based-on-politics-poll-finds/832778/ ↩ ↩²

2. Art & Science Group. (2026, October 13). studentPOLL: Politics and College Choice. RealClearEducation (October 14, 2026). https://www.realcleareducation.com/2026/10/14/more_students_are_ruling_out_colleges_over_politics_1211571.html ↩