A recent report by Boston College researchers found that rural colleges tend to be more affordable, more accessible, and have shorter degree completion times than those in urban or suburban areas.
The researchers concluded that while local universities' student completion rates and revenues lag slightly behind non-local universities, the differences are minimal.
The report is part of a new research series called “Equitable Value Improvement” developed by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), the research and advocacy group announced Wednesday. This series includes papers on a variety of topics that leverage his IHEP's Equitable Value Explorer, a data tool that compares post-college earnings across student populations and institutions.
This report draws on two datasets. One is institutional data for 2,525 universities from the Regional University Research Alliance, and the other is IHEP's Equitable Value Explorer dataset, which uses data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Census Bureau. The report also identifies institutions that serve rural areas or “advanced” institutions that serve rural areas based on the percentage of rural residents in the county in which the college is located and the share of degrees awarded. Utilizes an alliance framework to define Agriculture, Parks and Recreation, and Natural Resources sectors, among others.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about local universities and who they serve,” said report author Angela Boatman, an associate professor of higher education at Boston University. Combining the data sets allowed for a “more nuanced picture” of the economic benefits to these universities and their students 10 years later.
The report found that students at these institutions tend to have less racial and ethnic diversity than students at urban and suburban colleges, likely due to rural racial demographics. It is thought that it is. But the report says 53 percent of community colleges, one-third of historically black colleges and universities and 18 percent of Hispanic-serving colleges are eligible for local education. With the exception of rural community college student bodies, students of color make up at least 35 percent of the population at all rural-serving institutions. Additionally, institutions that serve rural areas overall have a higher percentage of students who receive Pell Grants, a form of federal financial aid for low-income students.
Too many people believe that “rural is the white norm,” said the CEO of Partners for Rural Impact, a nonprofit organization focused on improving the academic and career outcomes of rural students. CEO Dreama Gentry said. “Rural America is diverse and becoming more diverse…Rural students include students of color from across the country.”
The report notes that agencies serving rural areas tend to be less selective. The average enrollment rate for institutions serving rural areas is almost 76%, while for non-rural institutions he is 72%. Additionally, students generally take a little longer to graduate from institutions that serve rural areas. For example, the average time to complete an academic degree at a non-rural public two-year college is about two and a half years, but at a rural-serving institution he takes 2.36 years; At the educational institution he takes 2.27 years. The difference is less pronounced for four-year colleges, with students at local public institutions and high-service institutions completing their studies in an average of 4.42 years; students completed their studies in an average of 4.5 years. Also, with the exception of private two-year colleges, local universities have lower tuition costs on average than non-local universities, regardless of institution type.
“This is proof that institutions that serve rural areas are more accessible, more affordable, and in some ways offer more time to degree for the students who attend them,” Boatman said. he said, adding that these institutions have a positive “economic” impact on the students they serve. ”
Shadman Islam, the report's author and a higher education doctoral student at the University of British Columbia, said the data doesn't show why institutions serving rural areas take longer to graduate; Other research on students shows that they come to college with plans to complete quickly because they are work-focused and have an attitude of “What can I do once I get my degree?” It may be very possible.
Leslie Daughtry, director of design programs at the Educational Design Lab, an organization focused on innovative educational models that involve local institutions, said local universities have strong relationships with local employers. “It is possible that students are graduating early in order to be more active,'' he said. ” About anticipating and responding to employee needs.
Earnings results
Not all data points in the report are so rosy and clear-cut.
According to the report, institutions serving rural areas have lower average completion rates than other institutions, with the exception of public two-year colleges.
The report found that students who attend institutions serving rural areas have slightly lower median earnings than other students 10 years after enrolling. But the differences in returns are minimal, the report's authors argue. Students graduating from high-quality local institutions are expected to earn $49,441 a year, which is 2.3 percent or $1,150 lower than the expected earnings of students from non-local institutions. The income difference is slightly more pronounced at the two-year college level, with a difference of $1,256 or 3% between rural, high-service institutions and non-rural institutions.
Gentry said local wages tend to be lower, so if students stay and work in the region after graduating from a local university, that could explain the small difference in earnings results. he pointed out.
The report also found that students at institutions serving rural areas are more likely to earn enough to recoup the cost of their degree, but not necessarily reach the median income in their field of study. It also became clear that the possibility of achieving an income premium exceeding that amount is not necessarily high. Or achieve financial mobility and earn a 60th percentile income in any field.
There is a slightly less than 50% chance of earning a premium if you go to a local university; He was 53% at a two-year college in a rural area and 54% at a four-year college in a rural area. The report found a “not statistically significant” relationship between the likelihood of achieving economic mobility and the likelihood of attending a university serving rural areas.
“One of the takeaways we found is that while we're not seeing significant revenue or mobility outcomes, we're also not really seeing high interest rates for nonlocal institutions,” Boatman said. Stated. “So there's not much of a difference geographically. So there are bigger questions about returning to the university more broadly.”
Islem said the key takeaway from the results regarding declining completion rates and revenue is that the differences between rural and non-rural institutions are not particularly large or “insurmountable.” He said he was hopeful that this would not be the case. He said bridging these gaps is a “smart investment area” for national policymakers, given that educational institutions are “widely accessible” and “cheap” and students can “graduate on time or sooner.” ”, he added.
Daughtry said the report highlights “how important the institutions that serve these rural areas are to their communities.”
“People want to earn a living wage and earn a wage that will support their families, and these institutions are often the only places geographically that have access to that,” she says. “When we think about economic mobility and agility in the United States, all we need to do is make sure that the institutions that serve rural areas are not left out of that discussion.”
