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Should it be
- A student of ABC College is required to ...
- A student in ABC College is required to ...
- A student from ABC College is required to ...
In addition, if the "ABC College" is a school that offers online education, does that automatically cancel out option 2 since the student would never physically be there?
My research suggests that it would actually be
A student at ABC College...
I occasionally work with an internet high school, the Keewyatinook Internet High School (KiHS). A Google search yielded the following hits. They match my own instincts as to usage:
"Students of KiHS": 37 results
"Students in KiHS": 43 results
"Students from KiHS": 53 results
"Students at KiHS": 1040 results
In answer to your second question, I should think that you're right -- a student can't physically be there, which should cancel out "in." However, in my case, "in" is used occasionally as you can see.
At first glance, I wouldn't have a problem with any of the three that you've suggested. Generally speaking, prepositions are versitile enough words that their meanings can overlap. Moreover, I believe both in or at could be used for an online institution, as either could be regarded as a shortened form of:
A student enrolled in a program at ABC College is required to...
On the other hand, maybe, as you read and reread the phrase more and more, you get the feeling like whichever preposition you try doesn't quite fit. In that case, you could just restructure the sentence:
ABC College students are required to...
