California sees record exodus of college-bound students
This net loss has nearly quadrupled in the past two decades. In 2002, just 8.5% of California high school graduates left the state to attend college. By 2022, that number had grown to 15%.
California’s public higher education system is the largest in the nation and home to globally ranked universities, but that hasn’t stopped a growing exodus of college-bound students.
In 2022, California experienced a net loss of nearly 24,000 students who chose to attend college in other states, according to data from the Public Policy Institute of California. That number has nearly quadrupled since 2002 and now represents 15% of the state’s college-bound high school graduates.
Most of these students are not going to more prestigious institutions.
Instead they’re enrolling in schools with lower admission standards and weaker academic outcomes, often at a higher cost. Public universities in Arizona and Oregon are among the top destinations.
Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, for example, are far less selective than University of California campuses but draw thousands of Californians. Oregon’s flagship university costs over five times more than the average CSU, but still sees strong enrollment from California.
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The growing outflow of students raises serious concerns about California’s ability to retain its own talent.
Despite generous state funding, families are increasingly looking elsewhere, often sacrificing quality or affordability to escape a system burdened by overcrowding, ideological activism, and bureaucracy.
