Why Northeastern Students Are Heading South: Sunshine, SEC Football and Vibrant Greek Life

Students from the U.S. Northeast are enrolling at Southern universities in record numbers, drawn by warm weather, big-time college football and active Greek life. Instead of focusing solely on traditional Northeastern options, an increasing number of applicants are choosing colleges in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and other Southern institutions.

What the data show

Government data indicate that between 2014 and 2023, SEC schools experienced a roughly 91% increase in undergraduates from northeastern states. The University of South Carolina (USC) is a clear example: its undergraduate population from the Northeast rose about 90% over the same period, and the university surpassed 40,000 students this year. Over the past decade, USC's out-of-state enrollment climbed about 58% while its overall student body grew nearly 46%.

Where students are coming from and why

The largest influxes are coming from North Carolina, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Many students say social life, athletic culture and year-round outdoor life are major draws. Social media has amplified those attractions, with prospective students frequently citing clips of tailgates, sorority and fraternity events, and campus life in warm climates.

“All my friends are from [New] Jersey, [Philadelphia], New York, Maryland,” said Sean Carroll, a 21-year-old USC senior from New York. “People always ask me, ‘was it a culture shock?’ but there’s so many people from the north that you don’t even realize you’re in South Carolina. It’s just so trendy.”

Carroll, a member of USC’s Chi Psi fraternity, noted that only about ten of his chapter’s 200 members are from south of Virginia and observed that “northern fraternities hang with northern fraternities, southern with southern — even the tailgate lots are divided.”

“You can be outside all months of the year,” said Cameron McManus, a high school senior from the Washington, D.C., suburbs, who has been considering Clemson, USC and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after seeing social media posts showcasing sports and sorority life.

Applications and institutional responses

Common Application data show that since 2019 applications to Southern colleges have increased by roughly 50%, compared with less than 30% growth for colleges in New England and the mid-Atlantic. Observers attribute the trend to both the growing appeal of Southern campuses and increased competition at the nation’s most selective universities, as students apply to more schools than in previous years.

Some states and institutions have responded to rising out-of-state enrollment by adopting policies to protect in-state students. For example, Clemson’s acceptance rate has fallen from about 52% to 38% over the past decade; North Carolina limits out-of-state enrollment to around 18%; and Texas guarantees admission to its public universities for the top 10% of high school graduates.

Representatives for the universities and conference did not immediately respond to requests for comment.