One-third of high school students say they consider politics when choosing a college

A recent survey has found that a large percentage of Gen Z high school students stopped considering a college for political reasons—including the bias of the school and the state it inhabits. 

The Education Advisory Board (EAB) conducted the study, titled “Recruiting the Anxious Generation,” which it released on June 10. According to the poll, 71 percent of students eliminated a school from their consideration due to high tuition rates and 69 percent due to location-based reasons. 

However, close to one-third of students also treat politics as a primary criterion. The survey used recorded data from 19,299 high school students—with over half being in their senior year. 

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“Our survey data reveals that politics influence college choices for a significant share of students, with 29% reporting they had removed a college from their consideration set for a political reason,” the survey concludes. “More students dropped schools for being ‘too conservative’ than ‘too liberal,’ and higher-income students were more likely than their peers to remove colleges across all political reasons.”

14 percent reportedly ceased consideration for a particular institution because it was “too conservative,” 12 percent because the state itself was “too conservative,” eight percent because the school was “too liberal,” four percent because the state was “too liberal,” and five percent due to protests on campus.

The two political issues that the study notes are particularly important to high school students considering colleges are free speech and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). 

The study attributes an increase in students defining a “safe campus” as one that includes “freedom to express my thoughts and values without harassment” as likely caused by pro-Palestine protests over the past two years. Yet, it does not provide a data point to confirm this specific assessment.

Despite federal and state pressure to cease platforming DEI initiatives, high school students also said that such activities are important to making campus a safe place.

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“In addition, 53% said that a school’s stated commitment to DEI contributes to a safe campus, a view that was especially strong among low-income students,” the survey notes.

“As DEI efforts are being rolled back across the country, creating a true sense of belonging—especially for historically underrepresented students—is more important than ever. For enrollment marketers, this highlights the importance of authenticity and prioritizing messages of inclusion,” it continues. “Showcasing diverse student voices isn’t optional; it’s essential to connect with Gen Z.”

An EAB spokesman forwarded the organization’s press release to Campus Reform in response to a request for comment but did not answer questions about students’ reasons for naming the political issues they did—or if they named any others besides those mentioned in the report.

The study’s findings regarding free speech match other recent research on the subject. 

A Gallup poll from earlier this year found that a growing number of students support free speech on college campuses. 74 percent of students now think institutions of higher education should promote free speech compared to 61 percent from 2017.