Graduating college opens up a whole world of possibilities, and many students would jump at the chance to live somewhere new.
A new survey of 1,500 undergraduates finds that about 4 in 10 students attending college both in state (37%) and out of state (42%) say they would take a job and move to a new state after graduation if given the choice. In-state students are twice as likely as out-of-state students to say they want to live in their home state after school (44% vs. 21%), while 1 in 5 (19%) out-of-state students want to stay in the same state as their college.
Among students who want to move to a new state after college, New York (12%), California (11%), Texas (10%), and Colorado (8%) are their top choices. However, almost 1 in 6 (13%) say they would go wherever they got a job. Students who plan to go into technology list the same top states, with almost 2 in 10 (18%) saying they would go anywhere.
“Wherever I can get a job, I will go,” an Auburn University student says.
New York is Students’ Top Pick for Where to Live
Which state students who want to move to a new state after graduation choose as their top choice.
Despite many students wanting to live in New York and California, an overwhelming majority (85%) of students overall rank cost of living as an important factor when choosing where to live after school. Potential employment opportunities (78%) and proximity to family (43%) rank second and third. But Black students are more likely than students overall to say cost of living (95% vs. 85%) and staying near family (54% vs. 43%) are important factors for them.
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Methodology: This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted in April among a sample of 1,500 full-time and part-time students attending colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
