Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM: Campus Center Auditorium [A46]

College Choice and State-Level Policy Study At UMass Amherst

Presenter: Maxine H. Zalewski

Faculty Sponsor: Brenda K. Bushouse

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Public Policy

ABSTRACT

As political polarization intensifies across the United States, diverging state-level policies and political climates have emerged as increasingly salient factors in students' college decision-making. Preliminary literature suggests a growing portion of prospective students consider state politics when selecting a university, yet the mechanisms behind this trend remain underexplored. Existing literature has focused primarily on economic and geographic drivers of college choice. This study seeks to extend that framework to account for the growing role of political and policy-based factors. This mixed-methods research design examines the intersection of state-level policy, political climate, and college choice through a case study of the University of Massachusetts Amherst — a large public flagship research university situated in a left-leaning state. Quantitative data were gathered via a survey distributed to UMass Amherst undergraduates, followed by semi-structured interviews with consenting respondents. The interviews are designed to capture the nuanced ways state policy shapes students' lived experiences and enrollment decisions. Administrative enrollment data will be analyzed to identify geographic trends in student origin and potential policy or political correlates. The results of the study show compelling evidence of the influence of political and policy-based factors of college student choice. By investigating how policy environments and political identity interact with traditional college choice factors, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how ideological sorting and state-level governance are reshaping patterns of college matriculation.

RELATED ABSTRACTS