2021’s Best & Worst College Towns & Cities in America

High school graduates will find themselves facing new challenges including transitioning to college. They face the challenge of picking a major and another main difference students will face is the lecture style used in colleges and universities, which can seem very different to the High School recitation type of teaching.

With 76 percent of colleges reporting data, undergraduate enrollment has been revised downward. Roughly two months into the fall term, undergraduate enrollment is running 4.4 percent below last year’s level and for-profit four-year colleges are now showing slight drops. Graduate enrollment is up 2.9 percent and overall postsecondary enrollment is down 3.3 percent compared to the same time last year.

Many universities having closed campuses due to the pandemic leaving many students living in their dorm rooms since home is too far away to go. Even though there will be a COVID vaccine being given to Americans medical and health experts state that it may not be a simple remedy for colleges and universities. Incoming students are starting to narrow down their choices of schools.

With application season in full swing and a COVID-19 vaccine on the horizon that should allow more students to live near their campuses next year, WalletHub today released its report on 2021’s Best & Worst College Towns & Cities in America. This report, which is a follow-up to WalletHub’s College & University Rankings, aims to determine the towns and cities that provide better living conditions even in these difficult times.

To help college-bound high school seniors determine their future home for the next several years, they compared more than 400 U.S. cities – also grouped by city size – based on 30 key indicators of academic, social and economic growth potential. The data set ranges from the cost of living to the quality of higher education to the crime rate.

*For simplicity, they used the term “Cities” to refer to both cities and towns.

Best vs. Worst

• Statesboro, Georgia, has the lowest cost of a two-bedroom apartment rental, $716 per month, which is five times lower than in San Francisco and Daly City, California, the cities with the highest at $3,553 per month.
• Brownsville, Texas, has the lowest cost-of-living index for young people, 75.77, which is three times lower than in Stanford, California, the city with the highest at 226.90.
• Savannah, Georgia, has the lowest cost of higher education, $17,255 per year, which is 4.6 times lower than in Evanston, Illinois, the city with the highest at $78,654 per year.
• Stony Brook University, New York, has the most enrolled students (per 1,000 residents), 946, which is 22 times more than in Cape Coral, Florida, the city with the fewest at 43.

WalletHub Q & A

In deciding which college to attend, how important is the surrounding city/town?

“The considerations you make as an undergraduate, especially as a freshman, will be influenced by how you wish to live and spend your time, said John Thelin, PhD, Johns Hopkins University Press. “If your campus is residential and you are in a campus dorm, an important consideration is a walkability and proximity. There are some services and facilities you probably will not need those that adult professionals might want. Try to make sure you can get to coffee shops, restaurants, book stores, gym quickly and by walking. You do not want to be saddled with being stalled in traffic, paying for a parking space, and long commutes.”

“Affordable housing is one of the primary needs of graduate students,” said T. Lanie Scales, PhD, Baylor University. “They do not want to live in undergraduate apartments where students are loud but prefer places of quiet study and often need places to accommodate families. Does the city have affordable housing near campus, but that is not taken over by undergraduates? Are these places child friend and pet friendly?”

“The importance of the surrounding community depends upon the experience a student wants outside of campus, “said Paul Savory, PhD, Doane University. “Many larger towns offer better social activities, a more diverse population, and opportunities for students to work and seek internships. Smaller towns allow a student to focus on on-campus opportunities – athletics, music, theater, and other co-curricular activities. A student attending college in downtown Boston will have many different opportunities than one attending school in a smaller, rural community.”

What are the advantages and disadvantages of going to college in-state versus out-of-state?

“One obvious advantage can be if a student qualifies for “in-state” tuition at a public campus, said Thelin, PhD, Johns Hopkins University Press. “But this varies in worth from state to state. I would consider other criteria, such as a student’s profile, and match with what a particular college or university offers in courses of study, activities. There can be some financial aid and scholarships that might off-set or even surpass the lower price of in-state tuition.”

“There is a range of advantages to going to college in-state versus out-of-state,” said Savory, PhD, Doane University. “In-state schools are closer to home. That is often a good peace of mind for a child and parents. In-state schools also are often a less expensive option in terms of tuition and travel costs back home. It also provides an opportunity to attend a school with which a child might be more familiar and will have people that the child might already know. A key disadvantage is that it might not offer a child the independence they are seeking. Out-of-state colleges are potentially more expensive (note that private universities typically have the same tuition rate whether a student is a resident of the state or not) and offer students ability for more independence. The key in deciding between an in-state versus out-of-state school is the college’s ability to support a student in their academic endeavors and prepare them for future success.”

To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/e/best-worst-college-cities-and-towns-in-america/8974

Courtesy: WalletHub