Best States for College Students

Nearly 19 million people are enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, according to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, with that number expected to increase. Over 40% of these students leave home to pursue higher education, facing challenges like balancing schoolwork, making friends, and adjusting to independent living.

To highlight the best states for college students and those that have more work to do, SmileHub compared each of the 50 states based on 28 key metrics. The data set ranges from the share of people aged 18-35 to local university quality to the earning potential for college graduates.

You can find the complete results below. In addition, SmileHub boasts a selection of over 35,500 charities focused on education. If you want to support education but don't know where to donate, you can check out our picks for the Best Charities for Education in 2025.

• Main Findings
• Methodology

Main Findings

Best States for College Students

Overall Rank*	State	Total Score	Education Quality & Support Rank	Social Life Rank	Economic Environment Rank
1	Massachusetts	61.83	1	3	45
2	New York	61.82	2	1	47
3	Illinois	60.15	4	5	37
4	Rhode Island	59.10	22	2	29
5	California	58.59	3	4	49
6	Connecticut	58.38	6	6	13
7	Texas	56.12	27	13	4
8	Utah	55.35	21	7	20
9	North Dakota	55.13	43	12	1
10	Wisconsin	55.01	14	21	6
11	Pennsylvania	54.77	12	10	25
12	Virginia	54.19	15	11	23
13	Minnesota	53.01	13	18	18
14	Maryland	52.46	8	9	43
15	New Jersey	51.83	11	19	31
16	Ohio	51.68	20	31	10
17	Iowa	51.61	26	29	8
18	Washington	51.43	5	20	38
19	Nebraska	51.08	29	30	7
20	North Carolina	50.90	9	25	32
21	Florida	50.22	7	16	48
22	Michigan	49.88	25	28	17
23	Indiana	49.63	16	37	15
24	Missouri	49.26	19	38	12
25	Wyoming	49.12	17	45	9
26	Vermont	48.54	18	22	39
27	Nevada	48.18	44	14	27
28	Colorado	47.78	32	15	40
29	Georgia	47.66	30	17	41
30	Idaho	47.47	36	27	24
31	South Dakota	47.27	38	46	2
32	Oklahoma	47.05	41	42	3
33	Delaware	47.01	10	32	46
34	New Hampshire	46.95	35	23	35
35	Oregon	46.64	23	26	42
36	Arizona	46.00	39	24	34
37	Maine	45.90	28	33	36
38	New Mexico	45.53	42	36	14
39	Kentucky	45.20	33	39	22
40	Louisiana	44.96	40	35	26
41	Kansas	44.62	45	40	11
42	Alabama	44.32	37	44	16
43	Hawaii	43.39	24	8	50
44	Tennessee	42.96	31	47	28
45	Mississippi	41.69	50	34	30
46	South Carolina	41.55	34	41	44
47	Arkansas	41.28	47	50	5
48	Alaska	41.09	46	43	33
49	Montana	39.71	48	48	19
50	West Virginia	38.07	49	49	21

Notes: *1 = Best

With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of each state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that category.

Methodology

To determine the best states for college students, SmileHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Education Quality & Support, 2) Social Life and 3) Economic Environment.

We evaluated those dimensions using 28 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best conditions for college students. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for population differences across states.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Education Quality & Support - Total Points: 25

• Education Charities per Capita*: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)

• Graduation Rate: Double Weight (~4.55 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of full-time college students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

• Student-Faculty Ratio: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)

• Career Counselors per Student: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)

• Retention Rate: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)

• State Funding for Higher Education: Double Weight (~4.55 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the state support for higher education per full-time equivalent student.

• Cost of Higher Education: Full Weight (~2.27 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the average tuition fee, weighted by the number of students.

• Average Quality of Universities: Double Weight (~4.55 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best College & Universities Ranking”.

Social Life - Total Points: 40

• Students per Capita: Double Weight (~6.15 Points)

• Share of Population Aged 18-35: Double Weight (~6.15 Points)

• Share of Single People: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

• Nightlife Options per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

• Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

• LGBTQ Friendliness: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

• Environmental Health: Half Weight (~1.54 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on SmileHub’s “Best States for Environmental Protection” rankings.

• Violent Crime Rate: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

• Property Crime Rate: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

• Hate Crime Incidents per Capita: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)
  Note: 31% of Americans stress about hate crimes.

• WalletHub’s “Happiest States” Ranking: Half Weight (~1.54 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Happiest States” rankings.

• Access to Public Transportation: Full Weight (~3.08 Points)

Economic Environment - Total Points: 35

• Student Loan Debt per Person: Double Weight (~6.36 Points)

• Living Wage: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)
  Note: The living wage shown is the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support themselves and/or their family, working full-time, or 2080 hours per year.

• Share of Rental Units: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)

• Housing Costs: Double Weight (~6.36 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the price of rent for a two-bedroom apartment rental.

• Adjusted Cost of Living for Young People: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)

• Earning Potential for College Graduates: Double Weight (~6.36 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the median earnings of the population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.

• Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~3.18 Points)

• Job Growth Rate (2021-2024): Full Weight (~3.18 Points)

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, National Center for Education Statistics, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, WalletHub, TripAdvisor, Movement Advancement Project, SmileHub, Office of Policy Development and Research, The Council for Community and Economic Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Education Data Initiative.