Meg Bates and Mariana Barragan Torres: How to keep students in Illinois for college

Monday is school resolution day for highschool seniors, and Illinois has an issue. Regardless of the various advantageous schools right here, practically half of our highschool seniors who go to four-year schools select to attend schools out of state. That places Illinois beneath solely New Jersey by way of shedding extra school college students than it brings in.

This downside impacts everybody. As a result of declining delivery and enrollment charges, the Illinois highschool Class of 2027 might be down 10,000 college students in contrast with final 12 months; by 2030, it is going to be down 20,000 college students, state birthrate and faculty enrollment information exhibits. With fewer potential school college students, retaining extra of them in state is important. In any other case, extra Illinois schools will shut, with resultant penalties for native economies.

However why does this occur? A latest survey of 1,250 highschool seniors by our staff on the Illinois Workforce and Training Analysis Collaborative (IWERC) has begun to make clear this problem.

Value is important. It was the No. 1 challenge for survey respondents in selecting a university. Those that left the state mentioned they may have been swayed to stay in Illinois by decrease tuition and extra monetary support. Protecting the prices of Illinois schools aggressive with these of neighboring states is important.

Perceptions matter. Seniors who go away Illinois for school aren’t simply flocking to the Ivy League — in truth, nearly all of leavers are going to establishments in neighboring states comparable in status and value to these proper right here in Illinois. But, leavers cite school high quality as a think about want of enchancment in Illinois. Additionally they fee the social atmosphere of out-of-state establishments extra extremely.

Celebrating our state establishments — by means of using advertising and marketing campaigns, offering higher and full info to highschool counselors, and inspiring family and friends to share extra of their in-state school satisfaction (by far how most college students study their chosen school) — may assist enhance these perceptions.

Demographic variations level to a number of options. College students who go away the state for school usually tend to be white and have extremely educated dad and mom. College students who keep usually tend to be Latino and from Chicago. response to this downside have to be multifaceted and serve each stayers and leavers, to enhance the experiences of all college students. Reducing prices and bettering perceptions of Illinois schools threads that needle: Latino and low-income college students pay much less and go to colleges with a greater repute, whereas extra potential leavers go for Illinois.

Illinois just isn’t alone on this downside: Monitoring peer states could assist. Massive states akin to Texas, New Jersey and California even have a university out-migration problem, and their responses could also be instructive. For instance, New Jersey just lately launched a “Backyard State Assure” reducing prices for college kids who commit in-state; schools are additionally stepping up worldwide recruiting to usher in extra college students and steadiness the scales. In the meantime, Texas and California have had success with assured admissions for choose college students.

Different peer states akin to Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York have bucked the out-migration development by bringing in additional college students than they lose. Analyzing how they fund and market their establishments may present course for Illinois establishments.

Our analysis means that leavers could be persuaded to remain in Illinois, with investments in value and perceived high quality. By prioritizing this challenge and dealing collectively, we will maintain our greatest and brightest college students proper right here in Illinois.

Meg Bates, Ph.D., is director of the Illinois Workforce and Training Analysis Collaborative (IWERC), housed inside Discovery Companions Institute on the College of Illinois System. Mariana Barragan Torres, Ph.D., is a analysis specialist at IWERC. They’re co-authors of the Illinois school decision-making research.

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