The Rural Brain Drain and Choice of Major: Evidence from One Land Grant University

Rural areas in the U.S. face the challenge of academically talented high school graduates who leave to pursue postsecondary education and often never return. This study assessed migration of 2007 and 2008 bachelor's degree graduates (N = 6,165) from a mid-south land grant university by college. Rural students enrolled in agricultural, food and life sciences (AFLS) (32.3%) at a significantly (p < 0.05) higher percentage than the university overall (26.9%). AFLS (21.1%) and engineering (19.4%) had significantly (p < 0.05) higher percentages of graduates currently living in rural areas than the university overall (15.3%). Rural AFLS graduates returned to rural communities at a significantly (p < 0.05) higher percentage (56.7%) than did rural graduates overall (45.1%). Overall, only 4.3% of graduates originally from non-rural areas were living in rural areas six or seven years after graduation; there were no significant (p > 0.05) differences by college. Rural communities experienced a net loss of 716 college-educated individuals over two academic years.