Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce finds that rural adults are just as likely as urban adults to have good jobs, many in blue-collar occupations that do not require a college degree. While that employment outlook may dampen enthusiasm for college, researchers caution that higher education is essential to creating economic opportunity.
Topics: Rural students
Top universities intensify rural student recruitment
U.S. colleges and universities are working to boost the socioeconomic diversity of their incoming classes by strengthening pathways to college success for small-town and rural students.
Making higher education dreams a reality for Black rural students
Black students in rural communities face complex hurdles to postsecondary education, including higher-than-average poverty. One group is partnering with colleges and universities across the country to bridge those gaps.
Putting college within reach for rural students
Students from rural communities face multiple barriers to higher education, including long commutes, financial strain, and a lack of academic support. New programs are finding ways to shrink those obstacles.
Funding shortfalls, enrollment declines threaten rural college students’ access to a growing list of academic disciplines
U.S. colleges and universities in rural communities are cutting academic programs due to financial constraints, limiting areas of study and career opportunities for rural students.
‘We are barrier-removers’: College access program meets rural students where they are
At a time when less than 30 percent of adults living in rural America have a postsecondary degree, The Ayers Foundation has developed a model for encouraging rural students to continue their education after high school.
Thoughtful, in-person outreach crucial in attracting rural students
Colleges and universities looking to reach and recruit rural students should tailor their messages and prioritize on-the-ground interactions, according to a recent panel discussion.
In ‘education deserts,’ trading accountability for transparency could spell trouble
Relaxing regulations on for-profit colleges and relying on students to make data-driven enrollment decisions could be especially problematic in areas with few options for higher education, according to the director of the Urban Institute’s education policy program.
Michigan schools work to show students in rural communities that college is within reach
Michigan is experimenting with financial aid education and college visits to break college dropout patterns in rural communities.