The 5 most drunk colleges in America — and the 5 most sober
If there’s one thing the college years are synonymous with it’s students getting an education to prepare them for the future. If there’s two things that college is synonymous with, the second is having a good time.
Popular films and television shows as disparate as “Animal House,” “The Social Network,” and “Glee” all depict the college years as a time of raucous partying and experimentation with substances. And there is perhaps no social event more quintessential of the American college experience than a keg party.
Despite the stereotypes, however, in recent years college students seem to be calming down. Just 62% of adults under the age of 35 reported regularly drinking alcohol in 2023, compared to 72% in 2003, according to Gallup.
While such a significant shift cannot be attributed to one factor, Gallup’s analysis noted that the increasing diversity in the United States could play a role. People of color are significantly less likely to report drinking alcohol than their white counterparts. Sixty-six percent of white young adults reported drinking, compared to 57% of non-white young adults, according to the same Gallup poll.
The diversity of American colleges and universities means that both students who love to drink and those who prefer to remain sober can find a social scene that works best for them. In the annual Princeton Review surveys, the education services company asks university students: “How widely is beer used at your school?”
Brigham Young University, which is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, consistently tops the list of America’s most sober colleges. BYU’s honor code forbids students from drinking alcohol on-or-off campus, in keeping with Mormon religious practices.
“When I worked in the [communications] office, we had a running joke/ contingency plan that we would send a case of chocolate milk to whichever school displaced us with a ‘welcome to the club’ note,” BYU employee Joe Hadfield said of the ranking, in 2022. “Never had to carry that out.”
Continue reading to learn more about the five colleges where students drink the most beer and the five colleges where they drink the least.
5th most sober: City University of New York — Hunter College
Where is it?
New York, New York
What kind of school is it?
Hunter College is a public, coeducational university.
How many students attend?
18,758
4th most sober: Spelman College
Where is it?
Atlanta, George
What kind of school is it?
Spelman is a private, historically Black liberal arts college for women.
How many students attend?
2,712
3rd most sober: City University of New York — Brooklyn College
Where is it?
Brooklyn, New York
What kind of school is it?
Brooklyn College is a public, coeducational university.
How many students attend?
11,525
2nd most sober: College of the Ozarks
Where is it?
Point Lookout, Missouri
What kind of school is it?
The College of the Ozarks is a coeducational, tuition free, Christian college.
How many students attend?
1,508
Most sober: Brigham Young University
Where is it?
Provo, Utah
What kind of school is it?
BYU is a coeducational, Mormon research university.
How many students attend?
32,221
5th most beer: Providence College
Where is it?
Providence, Rhode Island
What kind of school is it?
Providence is a coeducational, Catholic university.
How many students attend?
4,363
4th most beer: West Virginia University
Where is it?
Morgantown, West Virginia
What kind of school is it?
WSU is a public, coeducational research university.
How many students attend?
21,155
3rd most beer: Colgate University
Where is it?
Hamilton, New York
What kind of school is it?
Colgate is a private, coeducational liberal arts college.
How many students attend?
3,193
2nd most beer: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Where is it?
Madison, Wisconsin
What kind of school is it?
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public, coeducational research university.
How many students attend?
37,817
Most beer: Bucknell University
Where is it?
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
What kind of school is it?
Bucknell is a private, coeducational liberal arts college.
How many students attend?
3,920