Traina says a big reason for his son’s decision is to avoid a culture of radical politics and stifling political correctness that has come to define the campuses of elite schools in the Northeast and on the West Coast.

“They view the schools as unfun, judgey and biased against white boys,” said Traina, adding that many of his son’s friends likewise sought out more welcoming Southern schools like Duke, Vanderbilt and Tulane.

They are not alone. Recent admissions data show a surge in students from the Northeast and other regions choosing schools in the South. Politics is not the only reason of course. But interviews with parents, students and university officials suggest the ascendance of a new type of college ideal: A campus where belonging, affordability and civility matter most.

Everyone wears orange

Ainsley Matteson says her choice of college meant her family became a house divided—or at least it was one Saturday last year when she dropped her lifetime loyalty to Ohio State and rooted for the University of Tennessee during a critical playoff football game.

“In Knoxville, sports bring everyone together,” said Matteson, a senior studying supply chain management and Volunteer convert. “If you’re wearing orange on game day, there’s this sense of belonging.”

Cameron McManus, a high school senior from the suburbs of Washington, D.C., is also drawn to the idea of a school with a strong sense of community, and has his eye on UNC Chapel Hill, Clemson or the University of South Carolina. His interest has been spurred in part by TikTok and Instagram videos that showcase sports and Greek culture scenes at those schools, and by the promise of warm weather.

“You can be outside all months of the year,” he said, adding that stories from friends’ older siblings reinforced his impression that Southern schools are a “vibrant” place to be.

One of those schools attracting more students from outside the region is Vanderbilt University. According to Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, the school has seen a surge in applications from the Northeast, West Coast and from the Bay Area in particular.

While the Nashville university’s mild climate and lively sports scene are no doubt a draw, Diermeier says prospective students and parents are attracted to Vanderbilt’s commitment to free speech and institutional neutrality on external political issues.

“We’ve noticed from conversations with parents that top of mind for them is whether campus will be a place where their son or daughter can thrive without ideological homogeneity,” he said.

Diermeier adds these concerns have become especially pronounced since October 7, 2023 when the Hamas massacre of Israelis touched off a regional war, and a wave of pro-Palestine protests on U.S. campuses that produced tent encampments and led schools like Columbia to cancel graduation ceremonies.

The Vanderbilt Chancellor says he took a different approach when protestors occupied his office and assaulted a security guard, choosing to mete out discipline and restore order to campus. Diermeier says all views are nonetheless welcome at the school. “Our students explore the most challenging topics but can do so in a climate of respect and civility,” he says.

A 50% jump in applications

Addie Rogers, a senior at a Washington, DC public high school, says she has noticed a growing desire among her peers to go South for schools, and that it is her aspiration too.

“The main thing that appeals to me is the school spirit of Southern schools,” she said. “I don’t want to go to college and focus only on studying. I want to have fun. That’s what Southern schools are all about.”

If Rogers does end up traveling south for school, she will have plenty of company. A recent Wall Street Journal report found that the number of Northerners going to Southern public schools has risen 84% over the past two decades, and jumped 30% from 2018 to 2022.

Meanwhile, surveys of recent data from the Common Application (a standard admissions process used by a growing number of colleges) shows that applications to colleges in the South are up 50% since 2019. That compares to a rise of less than 30% for schools located in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.

Part of this reflects the reality that it is harder than ever to get into the most elite colleges. Another big factor in the surging admissions down South is that students are applying to a far greater number of schools than in the past.

This recent effort to cast a very wide net is an outgrowth of the Covid era when many schools dropped standardized tests from their admission process, and has continued even as schools revert to their former practices.

According to Krista Jajonie of Access Consulting, this “apply everywhere mentality” has persisted in part because admissions offices are reluctant to ever tell students—even totally unqualified ones—not to apply to their programs since more applications improve the so-called yield rate that schools use a key benchmark against one another.

As for the political climate of campuses, Jajonie says she is hearing from parents who don’t want to send their kids to a school riven with conflict over Israel and Palestine. But she says, for prospective students, the prime draw of Southern campuses is the weather and sports culture.

Finally, there is the question of cost—a factor that has become an overriding concern for many at a time when some schools cost over $70,000 a year in tuition alone. When Danielle Davis of northern Virginia was exploring potential universities for her son to attend, the issue of campus political culture was hardly top of mind.

What concerned her instead was that it would cost nearly $37,000 just for her son to attend the nearby University of Virginia. Instead, they settled on the University of Florida, a “public Ivy” where the total cost was $31,000—all-in, including fraternity dues. Her son is now majoring in finance and, thanks to the relative affordability, the family will have money left if he chooses to pursue graduate school.