CNN  —  Earlier this year, an 18-year-old high school senior from New York City had planned to enroll at Columbia University’s sister school Barnard College in Manhattan as an early decision student. But after her parents saw heightened tensions over the Israel-Gaza conflict surface across some US campuses, including at Barnard and Columbia, they went back to her list. The student, who spoke to CNN under the condition of anonymity over privacy concerns, ultimately chose Brandeis University in Massachusetts, one of only two schools on the Anti-Defamation League’s 2024 list of 85 colleges that received an A grade for its response to antisemitic incidents on campus and its support for Jewish students. “Barnard was my top choice. I was so dead set on going,” said the private school student, who is Jewish. “But after seeing what is happening on campuses, I feel so glad I am going to Brandeis. I feel really happy and safe knowing they got an A.” The student’s mother said reconsidering where her daughter attends in the fall was a family decision. “We know these issues are happening everywhere, but we prioritized how the university administration was responding, how many Jews are on the campus and if it had a Jewish community,” she said. Other families also have been grappling with where to send their high school students in the fall as campus protests continue to play out at schools around the country, even as the final deadline fast approaches. Students nationwide have only a few days left to submit their college deposits and make their decisions on where to enroll for the fall; many schools list their College Decision Day as on or around May 1. From impacting the logistics of visiting campuses to the confrontations splashed across television screens, the protests have, in the two short weeks since they’ve spread, further complicated making a final college choice for some members of the class of 2028. On Tuesday night, clashes escalated between law enforcement and protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles after a violent confrontation broke out between pro-Palestinian protesters and counter protesters. In New York, about 300 protesters were arrested at Columbia University and City College after officers cleared protesters from encampments and an occupied building. In a statement shared with Columbia’s community, university president Minouche Shafik said the decision to ask the New York City Police Department to intervene was “because my first responsibility is safety.” Since April 18, more than 1,500 people have been arrested on more than 30 college and university campuses across at least 23 states, according to a CNN review of university and law enforcement statements. Mimi Doe – the co-founder and CEO of Top Tier Admissions, whose admission experts help students get into their college of choice – told CNN some students have already reconsidered where to attend, particularly when it comes to enrolling at Columbia University. Columbia has had perhaps the highest profile pro-Palestinian encampments and protests. “We recently received frantic texts and calls from a student who got into Columbia … and [they] ended up taking the school off their list [due to the protests],” she said. For privacy reasons, Doe and other college coaches declined to share contact information for the parents and students mentioned in this article but shared their responses based on CNN’s questions. “Jewish students and Jewish parents are definitely making more informed decisions about where their students would feel safe, but it’s not just Jewish families. We just heard from another student who got into Columbia who is not Jewish, and their mom and dad said, ‘Nope, let’s take it off the table.’” Pro-Palestinian students celebrate reaching a deal with the administration at Brown University, bringing an end to their encampment, in Providence, Rhode Island on April 30, 2024. Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images Revisiting a campus and perhaps a decision Some students this time of year participate in what’s called a “revisit day,” where they visit or drive through campuses one last time to get a better sense of the lifestyle and environment before accepting. But increased safety measures, such as universities closing their gates to outsiders or conducting heavy screenings to enter admission offices, have made this practice more difficult this year, Doe said. While universities have been faced with an onslaught of controversy following the attack by Hamas militants on Israel on October 7, from antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents on campus to growing political unrest, the protests have been even more “jarring” for students and parents, she said. In a Facebook post in the group Grown and Flown Parents, where more than 250,000 parents discuss college admission issues, one parent expressed concern over her son’s current commitment to Columbia on a scholarship. “He went to visit this weekend and said he didn’t feel comfortable walking around and that there were a lot of protests that seemed unmanageable at best,” the anonymous user posted. “He is starting to question his decision and now I’m panicking.” Over 500 parents responded to the post, many of whom said they would not send their children to school there due to recent events. “The school couldn’t pay me to send my child there,” wrote one parent. “The displayed hate is sickening.” Columbia University declined to comment on how the protests are impacting its fall enrollment. During a Congressional hearing in April, however, President Shafik defended how the university responded to events on campus and has prioritized the safety of its students. “We do not, and will not, tolerate antisemitic threats, images, and other violations,” Shafik said. “We have enforced, and we will continue to enforce, our policies against such actions.” Shafik said that she believes the university can “confront antisemitism and provide a safe campus environment for our community while simultaneously supporting religious academic exploration and freedom.” The school remains at the epicenter of the demonstrations, where recently it banned from campus a student protest leader who in January said in a video that “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” (He later apologized.) More than 100 Israeli students wrote to school authorities saying they felt unsafe on the campus because of the general atmosphere at the school. Columbia’s Senate –- a policy-making body representing faculty, students and administrative staff –- passed a resolution late Friday to investigate the university leadership’s handling of the protests. The protesters at Columbia have been demanding the school cut ties with Israeli academic institutions and disinvest from Israel-linked entities, as the death toll climbs from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Protesters at other campuses have similar demands. Brian Taylor, a managing partner at private admissions coach company Ivy Coach, said the company has seen little change in where students are enrolling, despite the protests, except for one clear pivot. “If the student was admitted to multiple Ivy league schools, then they’re not going to choose Columbia,” he said. “But if a student only got accepted to Columbia – if that’s the best school they got into – they’re still going to go.” Taylor said some students who work with Ivy Coach called the day 100 students were arrested at Columbia’s protests to see if they had a better chance of getting off of their waitlist and admitted to the school. “It’ll probably be pretty easy to get off the Columbia waitlist this year,” he said. Still, he added “these encampments are obviously doing schools quite the disservice.” At the same time, however, another student working with Top Tier Admissions said they decided to commit to Columbia despite the protests. “Definitely one of the things that drew me to Columbia was the spirit of activism and the great political science professors that have a legacy there,” the student said. “I was a bit concerned about the administration as they’ve shown and continue to show their lack of care for students and the student voice. [But] I ultimately decided to enroll here because the same kind of thing is happening at every school at this point.” Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rebuild a barricade around an encampment on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Wednesday, May 1. Before police were deployed to campus, pro-Palestinian protesters and Israel supporters were clashing at the school, according to multiple reports. Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images Police officers stand guard after clashes erupted on the campus of UCLA. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images Counter protesters attack a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA. Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images Police use a vehicle named "the bear" to enter Hamilton Hall, which was occupied by protesters at Columbia University in New York on Tuesday, April 30. About 300 protesters were arrested, according to the NYPD. Caitlin Ochs/Reuters Police detain a protester at Columbia on April 30. David Dee Delgado/Reuters Pro-Palestinian protesters climb a fence during demonstrations at The City College of New York on April 30. Spencer Platt/Getty Images An NYPD bus transports arrested demonstrators at Columbia on April 30. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images Protesters confront police at The City College of New York on April 30. Spencer Platt/Getty Images NYPD officers march into Columbia on April 30. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images Protesters occupy Columbia's Hamilton Hall early on April 30. Seyma Bayram Protesters barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall on April 30. Dozens of protesters were occupying Hamilton Hall, one of the campus buildings also occupied during 1968 student protests, according to a social media post from Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine. Alex Kent/Getty Images A protester breaks the windows of the front door of Hamilton Hall in order to secure a chain around it and prevent authorities from entering early on April 30. Alex Kent/Getty Images Protesters at Brown University celebrate April 30 after reaching a deal with the administration to end their encampment in Providence, Rhode Island. The university agreed to hold a vote on divestment from companies that support Israel, according to the protest group. Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images Columbia University students gather for a picket organized by the Student Workers Union (UAW Local 2710) on Monday, April 29. Seyma Bayram Pro-Palestinian protesters confront a Texas state trooper at the University of Texas in Austin on April 29. Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images A protester at Columbia University wears the university's disciplinary notice on April 29. Alex Kent/Getty Images Demonstrators march past Low Library while chanting "Free Palestine" on Columbia's campus on April 29. Diane Handal Students from George Washington University stand on top of police barricades as they protest in Washington, DC, on April 29. Cliff Owen/AP Pro-Palestinian students and activists participate in a demonstration at UCLA on Sunday, April 28. Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images Students and pro-Palestinian supporters occupy a plaza at New York University on Friday, April 26. David Dee Delgado/Rueters Georgia State Patrol officers detain a demonstrator on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Atlanta on Thursday, April 25. Mike Stewart/AP Jewish students wave Israeli flags as a counter-protest near a pro-Palestinian camp at UCLA on April 25. Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty Images Texas state troopers try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas in Austin on April 24. Jay Janner/Austin Statesman/USA Today Network/Reuters Students at the University of Texas at Austin watch a protest from a classroom window on April 24. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Students are arrested during the protest in Austin on April 24. There were dozens of arrests. University police had warned students in an email that they faced more arrests if they didn't disperse from the site. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Protesters link arms at Emerson College in Boston on April 24. Brian Snyder/Reuters House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media on the campus of Columbia University after meeting with Jewish students on April 24. He called on the school's president to resign during a tense news conference where the crowd repeatedly interrupted him and at times loudly booed him and other Republican lawmakers who were with him. Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Demonstrators' tents are set up on Columbia's campus in New York on April 24. The school is also preparing for graduation ceremonies. Alex Kent/Getty Images Demonstrators work on a banner April 24 at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images Protesters demonstrate at the University of Texas in Austin on April 24. Nuri Vallbona/Reuters Demonstrators and Texas state troopers face one another in Austin on April 24. Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg/Getty Images Police stand near protesters at the University of Southern California on April 24. Zaydee Sanchez/Reuters New York police officers stand near protesters outside the main entrance of Columbia University on April 24. Caitlin Ochs/Reuters Columbia students prepare to camp overnight on April 23. Caitlin Ochs/Reuters A group of Jewish and non-Jewish students gather at the Columbia encampment to celebrate Seder, a ritual feast at the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Columbia student Cameron Jones told CNN: "I am Jewish and, to me, Passover symbolizes perseverance and resilience. I think this encampment represents those two ideals because we have seen the university take countless measures to try to suppress our student activism, and here is us persevering through that." Caitlin Ochs/Reuters A makeshift memorial at Columbia, seen on April 23, pays tribute to Jewish hostages taken by Hamas in October. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images Students protest near New York University on April 23. Andres Kudacki/The New York Times/Redux Students at the University of California, Berkeley, set up an encampment at Sproul Hall on April 23. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images Pro-Palestinian demonstrators sit at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, on April 23. University police arrested at least 45 protesters the day before and charged them with criminal trespassing after they refused orders to leave. Joe Buglewicz/Bloomberg/Getty Images Police and protesters face off at New York University on April 22. Fatih Aktas/Anadolu/Getty Images Police officers clear away tents from an encampment at New York University on April 22. Alex Kent/AFP/Getty Images People watch from a window as New York University students set up a tent encampment on April 22. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally at The New School in New York on April 22. Mary Altaffer/AP Students rally at an encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge on April 22. Scott Eisen/Getty Images A pro-Palestinian protest is held at the steps of Columbia's Lowe Library on April 22. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images Some Columbia professors rally in support of their protesting students on April 22. Stefan Jeremiah/AP Israeli flags are reflected in the sunglasses of a demonstrator in front of Columbia University on April 22. Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg/Getty Images Student activists set up camp at a New School cafeteria on April 21. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images Pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside a Columbia building on April 20. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images Police officers stand near barriers as pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside of Columbia on April 18. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Pro-Palestinian protests spread at US colleges Prev Next Summer visits The practice of reconsidering which universities to attend may be even higher for high school juniors who have yet to formally apply, according to Doe. As families gear up for college visits this summer, she said some are changing up the names on their list because of the controversies the schools have faced. “We started seeing some parents in the past five years say that they don’t want their kid looking at Yale because New Haven isn’t safe,” she said. “But now we have people saying, ‘I don’t even care so much about Ivies because politically they’d have an easier time elsewhere.’” One junior in high school who is working with Top Tier Admissions said he was originally focused on getting into Ivy League schools but is applying elsewhere now due to how some of the schools have handled antisemitism on their campuses. “As of this moment, if Columbia handed me a full scholarship and admission right this instant, I would turn them down without a second thought,” the student said. “I would reject these universities because, above all, I want to feel safe and accepted where I go to school.” Doe said she’s seen other students and parents “edge away” from visiting certain schools, such as the University of Pennsylvania following reports of antisemitic activity on campus since 2021. In December, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill announced that she was stepping down amid months of pressure. At the same time, Harvard University applications dropped 5% this year, according to March figures that offered early clues into how the Ivy League school’s reputation has held up during its own period of historic turmoil. It faced a massive crisis last fall as its response to an anti-Israel letter was criticized by some powerful alumni and politicians. Claudine Gay, the first Black president in Harvard history, stepped down in January amid controversy over her academic writings and performance at a congressional hearing on antisemitism. While the university has denounced antisemitism, it is still under investigation by the House Education Committee for related allegations. But Harvard’s low admission rate – up to 3.58% from 3.41% last year, its second lowest in the school’s history – suggests demand to attend Harvard has not weakened dramatically. Finding the right fit A high school guidance counselor based on Long Island, New York, said some Jewish families in her community made decisions early on about where to apply based on how school administrations handled events following October 7, such as taking a prompt response in condemning the terrorist act or looking at colleges that banned Students for Justice in Palestine, an organization that advocates for Palestinian solidarity. “The resounding message is that it is important to be at a college with a Hillel or Chabad and a strong Jewish community because you will find your people regardless of the larger ‘tone’ of the college,” she told CNN. Hillel and Chabad are Jewish organizations with cultural and religious affiliations where Jewish students can go to connect with each other. Anna Ivey, a college admissions counselor, said this is not uncommon when controversial issues arise. Some students, for example, have reconsidered where to attend school for various reasons in recent years, such as when abortion laws changed in some states. “At the end of the day, people have very different sensibilities,” Ivey said. “Families can decide what matters to them and what source of authority they want to pay attention to.” Nonetheless, she said, some families are still “seriously debating” where to put deposits down in the next few days.