The states where students are most and least likely to leave home for college, ranked

California has the lowest student migration rate in the US. /iStockphoto Of 2.93 million first-time college students across the US, 19.1% enroll in out-of-state schools. California has the lowest rate of students enrolling out-of-state, while Vermont has the highest. Factors such as cost, degree programs, and campus life can lead students to enroll out-of-state. As summer's end nears, many young adults — and their soon-to-be-empty-nester parents — are starting to pack up suitcases and buy dorm furniture as they prepare to move away for college. Whether they're looking for specialized degree programs, school prestige, affordable tuition, broader networking opportunities, or a more distinctive campus experience, many students will soon be attending college across state lines from their parents. Enrollment data from the US Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System measures the number of first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduate students residing in each state and documents which institutions those students enroll in — and where those institutions are located relative to the student's permanent address at the time of application. The most recent release, documenting the fall of 2024, shows that of the over 2.93 million first-time students across all US states, 562,209, or 19.1%, enrolled at an out-of-state institution. Business Insider also compared out-of-state enrollment rates across state lines and ranked all 50 US states by the share of resident first-time students who enrolled outside their state. Using IPEDS data, we also calculated the most common destination state among residents who enrolled out of state. While the data and our calculations can help show the broader picture of student migration in many states, they do not capture the factors that led each student to enroll out of state, nor do they explicitly reflect how many students are physically moving their primary residence, since IPEDS data also includes online programs that may be located in states other than the student's residence. See where your state ranked and where its out-of-state students most commonly enrolled. 50. California Palo Alto, Out-of-state rate: 9.9% Number of resident first-time students: 432,331 Number of students leaving: 43,016 Top destination: Arizona, with 5,537 students (12.9% of students going out-of-state) 49. Utah Provo City, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 10.5% Number of resident first-time students: 33,175 Number of students leaving: 3,497 Top destination: Idaho, with 1,038 students (29.7% of students going out-of-state) 48. Michigan Ann Arbor, Out-of-state rate: 12.4% Number of resident first-time students: 82,242 Number of students leaving: 10,185 Top destination: Ohio, with 2,276 students (22.3% of students going out-of-state) 47. Arizona Tempe, Arizona. Out-of-state rate: 12.8% Number of resident first-time students: 59,989 Number of students leaving: 7,695 Top destination: California, with 933 students (12.1% of students going out-of-state) 46. Mississippi Hattiesburg, Out-of-state rate: 13.2% Number of resident first-time students: 24,451 Number of students leaving: 3,222 Top destination: Alabama, with 614 students (19.1% of students going out-of-state) 45. Florida Gainesville, Florida 6381380/Getty Images Out-of-state rate: 13.3% Number of resident first-time students: 179,229 Number of students leaving: 23,780 Top destination: Georgia, with 2,220 students (9.3% of students going out-of-state) 44. Oklahoma Tulsa, Out-of-state rate: 14.1% Number of resident first-time students: 35,946 Number of students leaving: 5,082 Top destination: Kansas, with 1,008 students (19.8% of students going out-of-state) 43. Texas Austin, Out-of-state rate: 14.2% Number of resident first-time students: 294,363 Number of students leaving: 41,772 Top destination: Oklahoma, with 4,796 students (11.5% of students going out-of-state) 42. Alabama Auburn, Out-of-state rate: 14.2% Number of resident first-time students: 40,085 Number of students leaving: 5,701 Top destination: Mississippi, with 935 students (16.4% of students going out-of-state) 41. Louisiana Baton Rouge, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 14.8% Number of resident first-time students: 41,892 Number of students leaving: 6,186 Top destination: Mississippi, with 1,090 students (17.6% of students going out-of-state) 40. Iowa Iowa City, Out-of-state rate: 15.4% Number of resident first-time students: 26,979 Number of students leaving: 4,144 Top destination: South Dakota, with 529 students (12.8% of students going out-of-state) 39. North Carolina Winston-Salem, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 15.5% Number of resident first-time students: 83,293 Number of students leaving: 12,920 Top destination: Virginia, with 1,953 students (15.1% of students going out-of-state) 38. Ohio Columbus, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 15.8% Number of resident first-time students: 95,533 Number of students leaving: 15,141 Top destination: Indiana, with 1,769 students (11.7% of students going out-of-state) 37. Indiana Bloomington, Out-of-state rate: 16.6% Number of resident first-time students: 56,069 Number of students leaving: 9,288 Top destination: Ohio, with 1,851 students (19.9% of students going out-of-state) 36. Kentucky Lexington, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 16.8% Number of resident first-time students: 38,910 Number of students leaving: 6,535 Top destination: Ohio, with 1,411 students (21.6% of students going out-of-state) 35. New Mexico Albuquerque, Out-of-state rate: 17.1% Number of resident first-time students: 17,756 Number of students leaving: 3,028 Top destination: Texas, with 586 students (19.4% of students going out-of-state) 34. Out-of-state rate: 17.2% Number of resident first-time students: 42,179 Number of students leaving: 7,236 Top destination: North Carolina, with 1,671 students (23.1% of students going out-of-state) 33. /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 17.2% Number of resident first-time students: 22,786 Number of students leaving: 3,921 Top destination: Missouri, with 475 students (12.1% of students going out-of-state) 32. Kansas Wichita, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 17.5% Number of resident first-time students: 26,488 Number of students leaving: 4,633 Top destination: Missouri, with 1,286 students (27.8% of students going out-of-state) 31. West Virginia Morgantown, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 19.2% Number of resident first-time students: 12,314 Number of students leaving: 2,359 Top destination: Ohio, with 529 students (22.4% of students going out-of-state) 30. Nebraska Kearney, Out-of-state rate: 19.6% Number of resident first-time students: 18,209 Number of students leaving: 3,564 Top destination: Iowa, with 680 students (19.1% of students going out-of-state) 29. Tennessee Nashville, Out-of-state rate: 20.0% Number of resident first-time students: 58,199 Number of students leaving: 11,667 Top destination: Alabama, with 1,591 students (13.6% of students going out-of-state) 28. Georgia Athens, Out-of-state rate: 20.1% Number of resident first-time students: 98,471 Number of students leaving: 19,835 Top destination: Alabama, with 3,475 students (17.5% of students going out-of-state) 27. Wisconsin Madison, Out-of-state rate: 20.3% Number of resident first-time students: 46,503 Number of students leaving: 9,420 Top destination: Minnesota, with 2,781 students (29.5% of students going out-of-state) 26. Oregon Corvallis, Out-of-state rate: 21.2% Number of resident first-time students: 30,818 Number of students leaving: 6,526 Top destination: Washington, with 1,101 students (16.9% of students going out-of-state) 25. Virginia Richmond, Out-of-state rate: 21.4% Number of resident first-time students: 76,703 Number of students leaving: 16,448 Top destination: North Carolina, with 1,627 students (9.9% of students going out-of-state) 24. New York New York, New York. /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 21.9% Number of resident first-time students: 170,412 Number of students leaving: 37,301 Top destination: Pennsylvania, with 5,091 students (13.6% of students going out-of-state) 23. Missouri Columbia, Out-of-state rate: 22.6% Number of resident first-time students: 46,624 Number of students leaving: 10,555 Top destination: Kansas, with 2,186 students (20.7% of students going out-of-state) 22. Pennsylvania Gettysburg, Out-of-state rate: 22.6% Number of resident first-time students: 100,007 Number of students leaving: 22,644 Top destination: New York, with 2,642 students (11.7% of students going out-of-state) 21. Idaho Boise, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 23.8% Number of resident first-time students: 15,636 Number of students leaving: 3,716 Top destination: Utah, with 1,106 students (29.8% of students going out-of-state) 20. Nevada Reno, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 24.6% Number of resident first-time students: 23,982 Number of students leaving: 5,906 Top destination: California, with 964 students (16.3% of students going out-of-state) 19. Maine Portland, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 25.0% Number of resident first-time students: 11,004 Number of students leaving: 2,750 Top destination: Massachusetts, with 658 students (23.9% of students going out-of-state) 18. Washington Seattle, Out-of-state rate: 25.1% Number of resident first-time students: 59,429 Number of students leaving: 14,894 Top destination: California, with 2,344 students (15.7% of students going out-of-state) 17. Out-of-state rate: 25.2% Number of resident first-time students: 7,298 Number of students leaving: 1,840 Top destination: Minnesota, with 319 students (17.3% of students going out-of-state) 16. North Dakota Grand Forks, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 25.9% Number of resident first-time students: 6,156 Number of students leaving: 1,596 Top destination: Minnesota, with 785 students (49.2% of students going out-of-state) 15. Colorado Boulder, Out-of-state rate: 27.6% Number of resident first-time students: 49,104 Number of students leaving: 13,561 Top destination: Arizona, with 1,613 students (11.9% of students going out-of-state) 14. Montana Bozeman, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 27.9% Number of resident first-time students: 7,316 Number of students leaving: 2,042 Top destination: North Dakota, with 211 students (10.3% of students going out-of-state) 13. Wyoming Laramie. /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 28.4% Number of resident first-time students: 4,688 Number of students leaving: 1,333 Top destination: Utah, with 229 students (17.2% of students going out-of-state) 12. Minnesota St. Cloud, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 30.5% Number of resident first-time students: 53,053 Number of students leaving: 16,172 Top destination: Wisconsin, with 3,494 students (21.6% of students going out-of-state) 11. Out-of-state rate: 31.3% Number of resident first-time students: 111,509 Number of students leaving: 34,903 Top destination: Wisconsin, with 4,183 students (12% of students going out-of-state) 10. Rhode Island Providence, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 32.1% Number of resident first-time students: 9,213 Number of students leaving: 2,954 Top destination: Massachusetts, with 962 students (32.6% of students going out-of-state) 9. Massachusetts Cambridge, Out-of-state rate: 33.5% Number of resident first-time students: 63,392 Number of students leaving: 21,260 Top destination: Rhode Island, with 2,716 students (12.8% of students going out-of-state) 8. Maryland Annapolis, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 33.9% Number of resident first-time students: 54,599 Number of students leaving: 18,506 Top destination: Pennsylvania, with 3,228 students (17.4% of students going out-of-state) 7. Delaware Newark, Out-of-state rate: 34.4% Number of resident first-time students: 9,209 Number of students leaving: 3,166 Top destination: Pennsylvania, with 1,043 students (32.9% of students going out-of-state) 6. New Jersey Princeton, Out-of-state rate: 35.6% Number of resident first-time students: 95,646 Number of students leaving: 34,070 Top destination: Pennsylvania, with 7,672 students (22.5% of students going out-of-state) 5. Connecticut New Haven, Out-of-state rate: 38.4% Number of resident first-time students: 35,699 Number of students leaving: 13,699 Top destination: Massachusetts, with 2,738 students (20% of students going out-of-state) 4. Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii Out-of-state rate: 38.9% Number of resident first-time students: 10,296 Number of students leaving: 4,000 Top destination: California, with 862 students (21.6% of students going out-of-state) 3. Alaska Fairbanks, /iStockphoto Out-of-state rate: 42.2% Number of resident first-time students: 4,303 Number of students leaving: 1,817 Top destination: Arizona, with 222 students (12.2% of students going out-of-state) 2. New Hampshire Greenville, Out-of-state rate: 46.2% Number of resident first-time students: 10,094 Number of students leaving: 4,663 Top destination: Massachusetts, with 1,419 students (30.4% of students going out-of-state) 1. Vermont Stowe, Out-of-state rate: 53.3% Number of resident first-time students: 3,865 Number of students leaving: 2,060 Top destination: New York, with 406 students (19.7% of students going out-of-state) Read the original article on Business Insider

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