Inclement weather during college tours can impact applicants, study finds

A day marked by rain or extreme temperatures could be enough to make a prospective college student reconsider where they want to attend, according to research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Researchers examined nearly a decade of records and matched them with hourly weather data to determine whether conditions during a visit influenced a student's decision.

The study, conducted by researchers affiliated with Amherst College, found that unfavorable weather during a campus tour reduced the likelihood that prospective students would later apply to the institution.

Warm temperatures had one of the greatest effects, with students being around 10% less likely to apply compared with students who toured during more typical temperatures.

Precipitation also had a notable effect, reducing the likelihood of an application by more than 8% when compared with sunny conditions.

For students from warmer states, the impact of cold weather was greatest, with applications dropping more than 15%.

Fortunately for Florida students, cold weather is generally not a major concern when visiting colleges throughout the Sunshine State, but unbearable heat and torrential rainfall typically are prevalent.

Most major cities across Florida experience measurable precipitation on roughly a third of the calendar year, meaning showers and thunderstorms can be an unavoidable part of campus life.

The good news that researchers found is that a negative run-in with the weather did not greatly alter a student's overall desire to attend higher education.

"While tour weather and the subsequent 'feel' that a student gets about attending a particular college meaningfully affect the application decision, they appear to have little to no downstream impact on students’ educational trajectories," authors stated.

The findings follow previous research in the climate realm that suggests that pleasant weather can influence consumer behavior and even decision-making.

There were also some surprises in the data, such as men appearing to be more affected by the weather than women, and significant divides among racial and ethnic groups.

The Amherst College researchers didn't delve into whether the threat of inclement weather played a role and solely focused on reactions to actual weather conditions.

"Admissions offices could develop tools to increase applications based on our findings, for example, nudging tour participants on the day before their scheduled tour to switch to a different time-of-day when weather is forecasted to be more favorable," researchers stated.