California Dreamin’ : The West Coast College Crowd
Whether it is SoCal or NorCal, Cali ultimately lures the attention of college students, some born and raised westerners and some migrants to the “promised land” of beach, beer, and beautiful people. California is recognized for its ocean-side piers and beaches that stretch out for miles with surfers bobbing along the coast; snowboarders and skiers trek the mountainous regions of the north. Perhaps the most prestigious attraction is the west coast nightlife in cities like Los Angeles and San Diego, migrant grounds for college students. The state of California offers a myriad of colleges, the most in the nation, generating more than 3.7 million students. For advertisers, this is an enormous outreach. There are more than 400 institutions throughout the state, 75 recognized as independent colleges. California also has a system of two-year public institutions; The California Community Colleges, which are composed of 112 colleges amongst 72 statewide districts with a population of nearly 3 million students. This is the largest structured system of higher education in the nation. 23 California State University campuses complete the list, educating more 430,000 students in total, and 9 campuses of the University of California graduate over a million professionals each year.
California schools have caused a migration of this age group for decades because of the abundance of colleges to choose from, as well as the type of institution (large, small, religious, sports-oriented), and tuition is typically less than $8,000 per year for in state residents. In correlation with the state’s bounty of higher education institutions, the NCES acknowledges California for its first place rank in the country for the most postsecondary undergraduate fall enrollment.
Furthermore, undergraduates have hundreds of options for graduate programs in California, amongst them Stanford University’s engineering program ranked second in the nation, and law school ranked third. UC Berkeley’s School of Education is one of the top five in the country. UCLA’s school of Theater Film & Television has graduated a handful of successful screenwriters and actors.
California’s wealth is also a major contributing factor to the abundance of successful schools in the state as ¼ of government spending in California goes to education. As California’s GDP is the highest in the nation, totaling $1.9 trillion in 2010, it is no surprise that most attendees of California institutions are instate residents or remain there post graduation to start careers in a thriving economic environment. Evidently, Californians are traditionally wealthy, as 63.9% of students enrolled in California colleges graduate with a Bachelor’s degree within 6 years. According to StateMaster, California ranks first and second in the nation for postsecondary bachelors and masters degrees awarded, respectively.
California is a platform for continuous economic growth and prosperity. College enrollment in respect to state population is sixth in the country at 40.5%, the graduation rates are steadily increasing, and the number of individuals enrolling in graduate degree programs is also on the rise. National and regional advertisers have a sublime opportunity to connect now with California’s college students to grow their product recognition and begin to steadily build brand loyalty amongst the ever-increasing college demographic.
