If you’ve ever scrolled through a Turning Point USA feed or caught a clip of a campus "Catch-Out" video, you probably know that Charlie Kirk had a pretty complicated relationship with higher education. Honestly, it’s a bit of a paradox. On one hand, he spent his entire adult life on college campuses. On the other, he famously titled a book The College Scam.
So, when people ask, "What college did Charlie Kirk recommend?" they’re usually looking for a simple list. But Kirk wasn’t exactly handing out brochures for State U. Before his tragic death in September 2025—an event that sent shockwaves through the political world and led to the current murder trials we're seeing in 2026—his advice was actually quite specific.
He didn't want you to just "go to college." He wanted you to go to specific places, or better yet, not go at all.
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The "Anything But College" Philosophy
Kirk’s most frequent recommendation wasn't a school. It was an alternative. He told anyone who would listen that for the average 18-year-old, the best move was often trade school, an apprenticeship, or a gap year.
He argued that the modern university system had become a debt-fueled indoctrination machine. He was "pro-education but anti-college." It’s a subtle distinction, but a huge one. Basically, he thought you should only get a degree if you were going to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. For everyone else? He figured you were just paying $100,000 to be told that your country is a terrible place.
The Short List of Approved Schools
That being said, Kirk didn’t hate all schools. He had a few "safe havens" he championed constantly. If you were dead set on a four-year degree, these were the names he’d drop:
Hillsdale College
This was the gold standard for Kirk. Located in Michigan, Hillsdale famously refuses all federal taxpayer money (including student loans) so they don’t have to follow certain government mandates. Kirk took 31 of their online courses himself. In a poetic but somber turn of events, Hillsdale President Larry Arnn announced in late 2025 that the college would posthumously award Kirk an honorary doctorate in May 2026.
Liberty University
Kirk’s ties here were deep. He helped launch the Standing for Freedom Center at Liberty and was a frequent speaker at their Convocations. To Kirk, Liberty represented the successful marriage of Christian values and conservative activism. He viewed it as a place where a student could get a "real" education without having their faith mocked by a sociology professor.
Grand Canyon University (GCU)
He often praised GCU for its affordability and its "private, Christian, affordable" model. He liked that it operated more like a business and less like a bloated government bureaucracy.
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Why the "Recommendation" Changed Over Time
Initially, Turning Point USA was all about winning the "culture war" on every campus. But as the years went on, Kirk’s tone shifted. He started telling conservative parents to stop sending their kids—and their tuition checks—to elite Ivy League schools or massive state universities.
He’d say things like, "Why are you paying people to hate you?"
By 2024 and 2025, his recommendation list had narrowed significantly. He became a massive advocate for the "Parallel Economy" in education. This meant looking at:
- The King's College (NYC) – though it faced massive financial hurdles, he supported its mission.
- Apprenticeships – He frequently partnered with companies that offered direct-to-work pipelines.
- Turning Point Academy – His own venture into K-12 and alternative educational resources.
Dealing With the "Dropout" Label
Critics always loved to point out that Kirk himself was a college dropout. He attended Harper College (a community college in Illinois) but never finished. Kirk leaned into this. He used his own story as proof that you didn't need a piece of paper from a dean to build a multi-million dollar organization or influence national policy.
He viewed his time at Harper as a "stepping stone" that taught him exactly why he didn't need to stay.
What This Means for Students in 2026
With Kirk’s passing and the subsequent "martyr" status he’s been given by his followers, his recommendations have actually gained more weight. We're seeing a massive surge in enrollment at schools like Hillsdale and an explosion of interest in TPUSA’s high school chapters.
The U.S. Department of Education recently launched a coalition to produce "pro-America" educational programming, something Kirk spent a decade lobbying for. If you’re looking at his advice today, it boils down to a few actionable steps:
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- Calculate the ROI: If the degree doesn't lead to a specific, high-paying license, skip the debt.
- Vet the Faculty: Use tools like the Professor Watchlist (which TPUSA still maintains) to see if a school is ideologically hostile.
- Consider the "Hillsdale Model": Look for institutions that prioritize classical education and Western values over modern "DEI" initiatives.
- Trade Over Trend: Don't be afraid of vocational schools. Kirk genuinely believed a plumber with no debt was freer than a mid-level manager with a Masters in Gender Studies.
Honestly, the "Kirk Recommendation" wasn't really about a specific campus. It was about a mindset. He wanted students to stop being passive consumers of education and start being skeptics.
Whether you agree with him or not, the "College Scam" narrative has changed how a huge portion of the country looks at that $50,000-a-year price tag. As we head into the 2026 academic year, the "Hillsdale or Trade School" path is no longer a fringe idea—it's a massive movement.
Next Steps for You:
If you're trying to decide if a specific school fits the "Kirk criteria," your best bet is to check the school's donor history and whether they've maintained an active TPUSA chapter. You can also look into the Hillsdale online course catalog—most of it is free—to see the kind of curriculum Charlie actually endorsed for himself.