Rural Students Made It to Campus. Now What?

Rural students enroll in college at lower rates than suburban and urban students. In 2022, 53% of rural high school graduates went directly to college, compared with 63% suburban and 60% urban. Rural students who reach higher education often rely on TRIO programs such as Upward Bound and Talent Search. Declining traditional-age enrollments and potential risks to federal access programs create incentives to renew focus on rural recruitment and to demonstrate degree benefits to skeptical communities. Colleges also need to retain rural students by addressing higher poverty, greater reliance on Pell Grants and student loans, and barriers after arrival. Education deserts can limit access to advanced science and math, and students may face social isolation and adjustment to urban environments.

"College-going rates among rural students remain lower than the national average- in 2022 just over half (53 percent) went directly to college, compared to 63 percent of suburban and 60 percent of urban high school graduates. Rural students who do find their way to higher education may do so because of TRIO programs like Upward Bound and Talent Search. But with traditional-age enrollments projected to decline and federal support for access programs now at risk, a renewed focus on rural areas could get more students on campus and help grow rural economies."

"Colleges also have the added political incentive of showing rural communities, where skepticism of higher ed may be elevated, the benefits of a degree. Yet this kind of outreach can't stop at recruiting rural students: Colleges and universities also must show they're prepared to retain and otherwise support them. Rural students have specific needs. Rural communities tend to have higher poverty rates than urban areas."

"Rural students are more likely to receive Pell Grants and to take out student loans. And once rural students overcome the challenge of getting to campus, they encounter new barriers. Because they often live in education deserts, they may be navigating new urban environments. They likely didn't have the opportunity to take higher-level science or math courses in high school to prepare them for college-level classes. And they can struggle with social isolation."

Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs