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Narrowed Gaps and Persistent Challenges: Examining Rural-Nonrural Disparities in Postsecondary Outcomes over Time

Ryan S. Wells is director of the Center for Student Success Research and associate professor in the Department of Educational Policy, Research, and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research aims to understand factors that help and hinder postsecondary access and success for marginalized and underresearched groups of students. Catherine A. Manly is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Policy, Research, and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research aims to improve affordable postsecondary access and success for students underserved by traditional higher education, particularly through the changes possible because of online and educational technologies. Suzan Kommers is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Policy, Research, and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focuses on how geographic mobility relates to students’ postsecondary success, specifically for underrepresented groups of students. Ezekiel Kimball is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Policy, Research, and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research examines how postsecondary learning environments shape access and success for minoritized student populations—with a particular interest in the experiences of students with disabilities.

Abstract

Empirical studies have concluded that rural students experience lower rates of college enrollment and degree completion compared to their nonrural peers, but this literature needs to be expanded and updated for a continually changing context. This article examines the rural-nonrural disparities in students’ postsecondary trajectories, influences, and outcomes. By comparing results to past research using similar national data and an identical design, we are able to examine change over time. Results show narrowed gaps from the 1990s into the 2000s, but with rural students still facing persistent challenges and experiencing lower average rates of college enrollment and degree completion.