California Students Increasingly Opting for Out-of-State Colleges
Javier Perez, a senior at Benjamin Franklin Senior High School in Highland Park, dreams of studying computer science at Dartmouth College. For him, it’s about being surrounded by the right people and experiencing a new environment. After spending two days on the New Hampshire campus during a spring college tour, Perez felt a “genuine connection” with the people he met, and he’s also fond of cold weather.
A recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California found that the share of college-bound California high school graduates enrolling in out-of-state colleges has nearly doubled in the last two decades, rising from 8.5% in 2002 to 14.6% in 2022. This trend is largely driven by West Coast and Southwest colleges actively recruiting students in population-rich California, offering discounted tuition at public colleges in the West through programs like the Western Undergraduate Exchange.
Popular Out-of-State Destinations for California Students
In 2022, nearly 40,000 California high school graduates enrolled in out-of-state colleges, with about a third flocking to Arizona, Oregon, or New York. The most popular universities in Arizona include Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University, and the University of Arizona, while Oregon State University drew the highest number of Californians in that state. New York, on the other hand, attracted students to smaller, competitive private liberal arts colleges, often with higher tuitions than California’s public universities.
According to Lynda McGee, a recently retired Los Angeles Unified School District college counselor, this trend is a positive development, as out-of-state campuses offer students a more diverse range of people and experiences. McGee notes that Arizona State, the University of Arizona, and Oregon State have strong name recognition, actively recruit in California, and are relatively close to home, making them less intimidating to students.
Financial Considerations and Support
Erica Rosales, executive director of College Match, a mentoring program for low-income students in Los Angeles, points out that under the right conditions, private colleges can sometimes end up costing less than a California public university, especially when considering financial aid or merit-based scholarships. For low-income, first-generation students, private institutions that meet full need without loans can be the most affordable and supportive option available.
Perez, who grew up in Guatemala and immigrated to the U.S. three years ago, is aiming to attend a private liberal arts college, drawn by the promise of full financial-need coverage. He learned about his options through College Match, which funded a two-week East Coast college tour and provided him with a laptop for his applications.
Javier Perez, 18, takes public transit to a library. His three-hour round-trip commute to and from school involves a bike ride, two trains, and a bus.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Perez hopes to leave California to experience life in a small college town surrounded by nature, focusing on his studies instead of commuting. He intends to apply to 22 colleges, including Stanford University, Caltech, and several UCs and CSUs, but his heart is set on moving to the East Coast, with schools like Middlebury College, Boston College, and Dartmouth College on his list.
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Image Source: www.latimes.com
