Campus gun policies are influencing admissions decisions

Gun violence is dominating headlines again and incoming college students are acutely aware of the policies that will determine their exposure to weapons when they arrive on campus in the fall. According to polling from Lumina Foundation and Gallup, eight in 10 current and prospective students say campus gun policies are important in their enrollment decisions. The 2024 State of Higher Education Study found that students prefer restrictive gun policies by a 5-to-1 margin. Democrats reportedly considered gun policies a higher priority in their college selection process than Republicans did by nine percentage points, but more than three quarters across all party affiliations consider it important.