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Framing the Problem of Student Out-migration from States

Every year, some graduating high school students make the transition to college, many of them choosing to move to another state in order to continue their education. In some states, the number of students leaving the state is greater than the number entering, resulting in a “brain drain.” This net out-migration of students, many of which never to return to the state of their high school graduation, may impact a state’s skilled and competitive workforce, tax revenues, productivity gains, and appreciation of diversity.

Data collected during the fall of 2004 by the National Center for Education Statistics revealed Pennsylvania and Florida led the nation with a net gain of 12,540 students and 11,194 students, respectively. On the other end were New Jersey and Illinois, which lost 22,443 and 10,511 college-bound freshmen, respectively.

A recent report by the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University concentrates on why students are leaving Illinois, where the students are moving, and what strategies can be employed to retain more students. The report, Committing to Keep Illinois Students In-State: Understanding College Choice, Student Migration Patterns, and Retention Strategies, concludes student migration is a statewide problem affecting the Illinois’ rural, urban and suburban districts. The authors cite other research showing students who plan to leave Illinois have, on average, a three-point higher ACT score than students attending college in-state (Illinois Board of Higher Education, 1999) and while 80 percent of high school graduates who attend an in-state college remain in the state after receiving their diplomas, only 50 percent of high school grads who attend school out-of-state return to their state of origin (Adelman, 2004; Perry, 2001).

Analyzing data from the fall of 2004, the Center for the Study of Education Policy found that 24 percent of Illinois high school graduates enrolled as freshmen across the country were enrolled outside of the state. Collectively, these students who chose to leave the state enrolled at 1,107 institutions across the country, but 49 percent of them concentrated at only 33 schools – schools having a high research focus. From their analysis, the authors find that Illinois students who migrate to other states concentrate in nationally ranked institutions relatively close to home are equally willing to move to large and mid-sized cities and not smaller ones, are not deterred by price, and gravitate to places that provide large amounts of financial aid.

The report offers a number of recommendations to keep students within the state and attract others to Illinois, including:

* Seek greater personal relationships with prospective students by encouraging direct contact from university financial aid officers, coaches, and academic faculty.
* Provide additional financial aid to high-achieving students.
* Promote a public marketing campaign that promotes the range of educational opportunities in the state.
* Encourage collaboration between high school guidance counselors and universities in order to build awareness of in-state postsecondary options.

A table of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System from the U.S. Department of Education, which lists migration trends for every state, can be found at:
http://nces.ed.gov/das/library/tables_listings/show_nedrc.asp?rt=p&tableID=3138

Committing to Keep Illinois Students In-State can be downloaded at:
http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/eafdept/centerforedpolicy/initiatives/saelpdownloads/HECA%20Report%20-%20Final%20Draft_USE%20THIS.pdf

Links to this report and more than 4,500 additional TBED-related research reports, strategic plans and other papers also can be found at the Tech-based Economic Development (TBED) Resource Center, jointly developed by the Technology Administration and SSTI, at http://www.tbedresourcecenter.org/.

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Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2007. Redistribution to all others interested in tech-based economic development is strongly encouraged. Please cite the State Science & Technology Institute whenever portions are reproduced or redirected.

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