The New York Times Mistakenly Features Santa Clara University Campus Photo
A hallway in Swig Residence Hall, which will welcome new students next week for the fall quarter. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)
The New York Times published “Home From College, Two Weeks Later,” on Sept. 9, 2026—a piece reporting on the growing trend of Gen Z students leaving college only weeks into their first term. Accompanying the story was a featured photo of a sprawling college campus, with students milling about among tan buildings and palm trees.
The photo, however, was not of a University campus where students have been going home in droves as Fall gets underway. Rather, it was taken at Santa Clara University, where students have yet to arrive for the start of their term.
The shot featured students bustling through campus outside Benson Memorial Center, and was accompanied by a caption reading, “Santa Clara University in California. Some students who left weeks into their first semester have expressed overwhelm and anxiety.”
The story itself did not contain any reporting on Santa Clara University, nor feature any interviews with University faculty or students. Soon after the piece was published, members of the University community took to public platforms to express confusion at the seemingly random photo choice.
Dr. Jo-Ellen Pozner, an associate professor in the Leavey School of Business, called attention to the story in a post on LinkedIn.
“OK, The New York Times, I appreciate you highlighting my beautiful campus, but could you explain why you’re featuring a photo of Santa Clara University in a story about freshman moving home after two weeks when the freshmen haven’t arrived yet? Orientation doesn’t start for a week! Nobody from SCU was interviewed for the story!” wrote Pozner, along with a screenshot of the story headline and the featured image.
The appearance of The New York Times article before correction, featuring a photo of the Santa Clara University campus, where students will not start school for another week. (Screenshot via archive.today)
“It is important for the NYT to report on current trends in higher education and in young people’s mental health, but inserting a stock photo of our beautiful campus into the story created an association with SCU that might be misleading,” Pozner told The Santa Clara over email. “That is not to say that some Santa Clara first-year students might not have similar experiences to those described in the article, but that has not yet happened, at least not in 2026.”
“I hope that all of our students - new and returning - are welcomed to campus in a way that makes them feel comfortable and supported, and that those who might ultimately choose to leave find what they need on their journeys.” she added.
The article after The New York Times issued a correction. (Screenshot via nytimes.com).
The story has since been amended, with a correction issued by The New York Times stating: “An earlier version of this article erroneously included a picture of the Santa Clara University campus. The university’s academic year has not yet begun, and reporting for the article did not include Santa Clara students. The picture has been removed.”
TSC has reached out to the author of “Home From College, Two Weeks Later” for comment.