The states where students are most and least likely to leave home for college, ranked
See which US states send the highest and lowest shares of first-time college students out of state, based on 2024 Department of Education data.
50. California leads with the lowest out-of-state college enrollment rate at 9.9%, with 43,016 resident first-time students attending out-of-state institutions. Arizona is the most popular destination, attracting 5,537 students.
49. Utah has an out-of-state rate of 10.5%, with 3,497 students leaving for Idaho, which receives 1,038 of those students.
48. Michigan shows a 12.4% out-of-state rate, with 10,185 students enrolling in Ohio, accounting for 22.3% of total out-of-state enrollments.
47. Arizona's out-of-state rate is 12.8%, with 7,695 students heading to California, comprising 12.1% of their total out-of-state choices.
46. Mississippi's rate is 13.2%, with 3,222 students choosing Alabama as their destination, making up 19.1% of their out-of-state enrollment.
45. Florida's out-of-state rate is 13.3%, with 23,780 students moving to Georgia, representing 9.3% of their total out-of-state decisions.
44. Oklahoma has a 14.1% out-of-state rate, with 5,082 students attending Kansas, accounting for 19.8% of their out-of-state choices.
43. Texas shows a 14.2% out-of-state rate, with 41,772 students enrolling in Oklahoma, which receives 4,796 of those students.
42. Alabama also has a 14.2% rate, with 5,701 students attending Mississippi, making up 16.4% of their out-of-state enrollment.
41. Louisiana's out-of-state rate is 14.8%, with 6,186 students choosing Mississippi, accounting for 17.6% of their total out-of-state decisions.
40. Iowa has a 15.4% out-of-state rate, with 0 students mentioned as top destinations in the provided data.
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