I remember when my D, now a graduate, was looking at colleges. She wanted to avoid a party scene. She began to realize that in order to attend the kind of school she liked, she would have to tolerate some level of partying.
Bad news: most colleges have a party scene. Even colleges not known for partying will still have a party scene. Students can and do party at most colleges. There are a few colleges not known for partying: Liberty U, BYU, some of the religiously affiliated colleges, military academies, commuter colleges with few students living on campus.
So rather than focusing on finding colleges where there is no partying, it might be better to understand that there are plenty of colleges where kids will be able to find plenty to do without resorting to partying, and will find plenty of others who also won’t be partying.
One way to refine a list could be to avoid colleges with a strong Greek presence. Not all colleges with Greek life have a lot of partying, but there is a strong association between the two. Also do plenty of research on colleges with a big sports scene. Flagship State U’s can have a lot of partying, but it’s important to remember that the types of schools mentioned will also be big enough for kids to find stuff to do that doesn’t involve partying.
Partying is common at some more rural colleges. That could range from a pretty large rural school like U Conn to a small LAC like Kenyon. But again, it’s important to find out what else kids do at these schools. Many of them, including the two I just mentioned, have very high retention rates, which means kids are happy. These schools often have plenty of clubs and events, which keep kids on campus and gives them outlets that don’t involve partying.
FWIW, my D attended a small LAC. It wasn’t rural, but there were plenty of parties. She did so many other things that didn’t involve parties, although, yes, she attended her fair share. If I ask her what she did during her years there, partying would not make the top 5. My son currently attends a mid-sized public U not known for being a big party school, but guess what? He found the parties, haha. That’s the kind of kid he is.
The point is, if kids do or don’t want to party, that’s what they will do. You can guide the process, but frankly, it’s VERY difficult to find a school with no partying. Even colleges known for having very academic students still find ways to have the occasional beer. You can check out U Rochester, Case Western Reserve, and U Chicago for a few colleges that are not high on the raging parties list.
FWIW, a college with a low grade on Niche for the party scene category is probably not going to have high grades for much else. I would avoid those schools. Find schools where no one will care if she doesn’t party. That’s the quality I’d be looking for on Niche. Re the grade for the party scene, I always thought it was very general: there are parties, and the higher the grade, the better the overall quality of the party experience. I definitely don’t think it refers to the number of parties or how many people go to them.