Students from the Northeast are heading South in record numbers, drawn by universities where sunshine, football and Greek life define campus life.

Rather than chasing the Ivy League dream, many students are now opting for schools in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which consists of 16 schools including the University of South Carolina (USC), the University of Alabama, the University of Mississippi and the University of Tennessee, The Sunday Times reported.

Between 2014 and 2023, SEC colleges saw a 91% increase in undergraduate students from northeastern states, according to The Sunday Times, citing government data.

USC alone is up 90% over that same period.

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USC hit a record this year with more than 40,000 students. Out-of-state enrollment has jumped 58% over the past decade, largely from the Northeast, as the school's student body has grown 46%, according to The Sunday Times.

The largest pipelines are from North Carolina, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, The Sunday Times reported.

"All my friends are from [New] Jersey, [Philadelphia], New York, Maryland," Sean Carroll, a 21-year-old USC senior from New York, told The Sunday Times. "People always ask me, ‘was it a culture shock?’ but there’s so many people from the north that you don’t even realize you’re in South Carolina. It’s just so trendy."

Carroll, a member of USC’s Chi Psi fraternity, said only ten of its 200 members are from south of Virginia.

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"Northern fraternities hang with northern fraternities, southern with southern," Carroll told The Sunday Times. "Even the tailgate lots are divided."

Meanwhile, Cameron McManus, a high school senior from the Washington, D.C., suburbs, recently told Fortune Magazine he had been eyeing Clemson University, USC or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after seeing TikTok and Instagram videos featuring sports, Greek life and warm weather.

"You can be outside all months of the year," McManus said.

Since 2019, applications to Southern colleges have risen 50%, compared to less than 30% for schools in New England and the mid-Atlantic, Fortune Magazine reported, citing Common Application data.

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The rise stems from the growing appeal of Southern schools and tougher competition for the nation’s most elite universities, as students now apply to more colleges than ever, according to Fortune Magazine.

As competition intensifies, some Southern states have moved to preserve access for local students. Clemson’s acceptance rate has fallen from 52% to 38% in a decade, The Sunday Times reported.

North Carolina now caps out-of-state enrollment at 18%, while Texas offers guaranteed admission to its public universities for the top 10% of high school graduates, according to The Sunday Times.

USC, SEC and a spokesperson for the New England Board of Higher Education did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

A team of scientists in London may have found a way to repair tooth enamel using an ingredient found in an unexpected place: human hair.

Researchers at King’s College London experimented with keratin, the same natural protein found in hair, skin and nails, on teeth. In lab tests, the system "has shown potential in repairing early defective dental enamel lesions, restoring both optical appearance and mechanical properties," potentially offering a future in reversing cavities.

Daily habits like sipping acidic drinks or skipping proper brushing gradually erode enamel, causing sensitivity and tooth loss, the study explains. While fluoride can only slow the damage, the keratin-based formula in the new study stopped it entirely in lab tests.

Researchers harvested keratin from wool, and found that it forms a crystal-like structure upon application to the tooth surface and exposure to minerals in saliva.

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Over time, this structure attracted calcium and phosphate and turned them into a durable layer that mimics enamel. By forming a dense mineral layer that seals nerve pathways, keratin shields teeth from further wear and relieves sensitivity at the same time, the study found.

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According to the research team, the regenerated material could protect teeth against further acid wear, and the process might even reverse early decay.

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What makes the discovery especially appealing is its potential for sustainability, the researchers say. Keratin can be harvested from hair or wool that would otherwise be discarded, turning waste into a valuable health product.

In the press announcement, King’s College London scientists said they envision it being added to everyday toothpaste or used in dentist-applied treatments within the next few years, though that depends on further testing and commercial development.

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Experts caution that this breakthrough is still in its early stages.

"Only limited enamel thickness was regenerated, along with questionable biocompatibility," the study notes, adding that "the clinical applicability of this technique is challenging due to the complicated fabrication process."

That means questions remain about the "scalability" of the solution in widespread application.

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According to the researchers, more work is needed to understand how thick and durable the new enamel layer can become and whether it can withstand years of real-world wear.

Independent dental scientists have also noted that lab-based enamel regeneration studies often struggle to match the complexity of true enamel.

Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, but it can’t naturally regrow once it’s damaged. Traditional toothpastes and fluoride treatments only help slow decay or strengthen what’s left. If the keratin-based method proves effective in people, experts say it could mark a major step toward truly regenerative dentistry.

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The study was published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.