A Wall Street Journal column reported that high school seniors are flocking to Southern universities like Clemson and Alabama rather than the nation's most prestigious universities in the North.
“A growing number of high school seniors in the North are making unexpected college choices, attending Clemson University, Georgia Tech, the University of South Carolina, the University of Alabama, and other Southern universities,” the columnists said. . Douglas Belkin and Andrea Fuller wrote:.
Belkin and Fuller wrote that far more students are applying to Ivy League schools than in the past 20 years, but that Clemson University and Georgia Tech are seeing “even more interest.”
The column further explained that these southern schools boast career opportunities, attractive Greek fraternity and sorority life, and sports entertainment experiences, especially soccer.
Former President Donald Trump thanked the crowd during halftime of the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. (Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports)
Additionally, columnists note that southern schools' lower tuition and weather make them attractive to high school seniors who are ignoring the nation's more competitive East Coast universities.
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They cite a report from college counselors that says, “Many teens are trading the political polarization tearing apart campuses in New England and New York for the sense of community symbolized by Southern Football Saturday. I hope so.''
Fox News Digital previously reported Emerson College is being forced to lay off staff and cut spending due to an expected decline in enrollment. The financial crisis arose after the university was overwhelmed by student protests during the Gaza conflict.
Emerson was among them. Several universities nationwide The campus was rocked by protests.
WSJ columnists Douglas Belkin and Andrea Fuller write that Southern universities offer great opportunities for post-college career opportunities, glamorous Greek fraternity and sorority life, and sports and entertainment experiences, especially in football. He writes that he is proud of (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
According to a column in the Wall Street Journal, “The number of Northerners attending public schools in the South has increased by 84% over the past 20 years, and jumped 30% from 2018 to 2022. This was revealed by a Wall Street Journal analysis of the latest data from the ministry.
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For example, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville has attracted more freshmen from the Northeast over the past 20 years. The total number of new students from Northeast has increased from about 50 in 2002 to nearly 600 in a class of about 6,800.
At the University of Mississippi at Oxford, the class of about 4,500 students in 2022 has grown from 11 to more than 200 students.
The column further reported that the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa is also seeing a surge in incoming first-year students.
A Wall Street Journal column reported that high school seniors are flocking to Southern universities like Clemson and Alabama rather than the nation's most prestigious universities in the North. (Isabella Habour/iStock)
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“At the University of Alabama, the number of applicants increased by more than 600% during the same period, nearly three times the number of applicants to Harvard University,” the columnists wrote.
“Southern academic heavyweights such as Duke University, Tulane University, Emory University, and Vanderbilt University have long attracted students from the North, but the recent increase in students to the South has been driven by an increase in attendance at public universities. ”, the columnist added.
