Despite signs that rural students complete high school at higher rates, fewer enrolled finish their degrees than their urban and suburban counterparts. Some of the biggest reasons for this are the lack of colleges in rural areas (which have become dubbed “education deserts”), the lack of understanding of the application process and the few technological resources available to rural students to learn new trades.

However, advancements made by the Biden administration and other higher education leaders point to the country’s revitalization in rural student recruitment. Students equipped with today’s digital skillsets can perpetuate innovation in the communities they left behind for college.

“Kids could take that money and go back to their communities in rural areas and spend that there. The spending that happens in rural communities affects everyone so I think there’s a lot of power there,” said Chris Sanders, director of the Rural Technology Fund, according to The Hill. “I think kids from rural areas in tech jobs stand to make a lot of people’s lives better.”

More from UB: President moves: Some are homegrown, others served public departments

Federal programs closing the “digital divide”

The USDA announced last week that it is awarding more than $700 million in broadband funding across 19 states to bolster rural connectivity and development across the country.

“High-speed internet is a key to prosperity for people who live and work in rural communities,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “We can ensure that rural communities have access to the internet connectivity needed to continue to expand the economy from the bottom up and middle out and to make sure rural America remains a place of opportunity to live, work, and raise a family.”

Additionally, Under Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Federal Communications Commission has slashed household internet bills, discounted computer purchases, and partnered with internet service providers to service high-speed internet plans under the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). To boost Americans’ enrollment in ACP, the Department of Education partnered with over 300 organizations last week to raise Americans’ awareness of the administration’s commitment to democratizing high-speed internet connection.

“Access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury—it is a necessity to fully participate in today’s society. Still, many students and families go without high-speed internet because of the cost, while others are forced to cut back on other essentials to pay their monthly internet bill,” read the press release.

The Small Town and Rural College Network

Sixteen of some of the country’s most prestigious colleges and universities have joined a program dedicated to realizing the potential of small-town and rural students’ education opportunities. Fueled by a $20 million philanthropic investment, the Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network oversees and facilitates institutions’ different efforts to offer personalized programming and mentoring for these disadvantaged students. For example, Columbia University is establishing a fly-in program for STARS-eligible students to access the campus quickly. Financial aid will also be provided.

Other notable schools in this program are CalTech, MIT, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Yale and Vanderbilt.

The Rural Technology Fund

The Rural Technology Fund’s (RTF) official mission is to “help rural students recognize opportunities in technology careers, facilitate pathways to work in the computer industry, and provide equitable access to technology for students with disabilities.”

The organization recognizes that rural students are at a disproportionate disadvantage when entering careers in technology due to the lack of resources. To combat this, RTF has given out over $50,000 worth of scholarships and reached more than 170,000 students in more than 800 schools with educational opportunities in technology. Its goal is 250,000 students.

“Rural people are industrious and resilient and resourceful. And so I’m incredibly optimistic because I think that rural people have had to get things done in all kinds of ways and I think that will continue,” Azano said.

The post How college leaders aim to increase rural students’ share of 4-year degrees appeared first on University Business.

While the Supreme Court is readying to strike down affirmative action nationally, universities that have leveraged race-based admissions are concerned about how Black and Hispanic enrollment might fare. State and student demographic data collected by Data Commons and Data USA from 2012 to 2020 shows that while Black and Hispanic populations have substantially grown throughout California, Washington, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Arizona, New Hampshire and Oklahoma, the student body of those states’ flagship universities has not reflected that increase whatsoever.

For example, the Hispanic population has increased by 26% in states where affirmative action has already been banned. However, the average increase in the Hispanic student body across their flagship universities is only 4%.

Similarly, while these states’ overall Black population has increased by 14%, Black student enrollment has only increased by less than a percentage point on average at flagship universities.

Minority students weighing whether to enroll at a major university may be worried about finding others who share their cultural experience. Ultimately, those schools can lose out.

“Why would I go to U of M?” said Odia Kaba, a class of 2022 student who chose to remain at Eastern Michigan University to finish her studies, according to AP News. “I’m just going to be stuck with people that don’t look like me, can’t relate to me, and with no way to escape it.”

This article covers the first eight states to have banned affirmative action since their states’ Supreme Court denied its practice in or before 2012. On the other hand, Idaho struck down race-based admissions in 2020, so its long-term trends have not matured enough to analyze.

Percent demographic changes from 2012 to 2020: State vs. State’s flagship university

California

State population

• Black: unchanged (2.25 million in 2020)
• Hispanic: 10% increase (15.4 million)

University of California Berkeley

• Black: unchanged
  • 3% of the student body in 2020
• Hispanic: 5% increase
  • 17% of the student body in 2020

Washington

State population

• Black: 22% increase (290k in 2020)
• Hispanic: 29% increase (972k)

University of Washington – Seattle

• Black: unchanged
  • 3% of the student body in 2020
• Hispanic: 3% increase
  • 9% of the student body in 2020

Florida

State population

• Black: 12% increase (3.38 million in 2020)
• Hispanic: 29% increase (5.47 million)

University of Florida

• Black: 1% decrease
  • 6% of the student body in 2020
• Hispanic: 6% increase
  • 21% of the student body in 2020

Michigan

State population

• Black: 2% decrease (1.36 million in 2020)
• Hispanic: 19% increase (521k)

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

• Black: 1% increase
  • 5% of the student body in 2020
• Hispanic: 3% increase
  • 7% of the student body in 2020

Nebraska

State population

• Black: 12% increase (91.9k in 2020)
• Hispanic: 29% increase (215k)

University of Nebraska – Lincoln

• Black: 1% increase
  • 3% of the student body in 2020
• Hispanic: 3% increase
  • 7% of the student body in 2020

Arizona

State population

• Black: 24% increase (325k in 2020)
• Hispanic: 19% increase (2.26 million)

University of Arizona

• Black: 1% increase
  • 4% of the student body in 2020
• Hispanic: 6% increase
  • 27% of the student body in 2020

New Hampshire

State population

• Black: 37% increase (21k in 2020)
• Hispanic: 41% increase (52.8k million)

University of New Hampshire

• Black: unchanged
  • 1% of the student body in 2020
• Hispanic: 1% increase
  • 4% of the student body in 2020

Oklahoma

State population

• Black: 6% increase (288k million in 2020)
• Hispanic: 30% increase (431k)

University of Oklahoma

• Black: 1% decrease
  • 5% of the student body in 2020
• Hispanic: 4% increase
  • 11% of the student body in 2020

The post Minority enrollment at these flagship universities underwhelms compared to state population gains appeared first on University Business.

This year’s high school graduating class was in ninth grade when the pandemic struck. Some might say 2023-24’s incoming college freshmen haven’t had a traditional educational experience in four years.

“These kids have never had a normal year,” one counselor at Platte County High School in Platte City, Missouri, told USA Today.

And because of those experiences, perspectives on what life looks like after high school has changed dramatically, according to a new report released Wednesday by the American School Counselor Association.

“The pandemic was a defining aspect of their high school journey, leading to many circumstances that made these students’ high school years different from those of other graduating classes,” the report reads. “What are they thinking about their college and career choices? How did the pandemic affect their thoughts about these choices?”

In an effort to answer these questions, the ACT surveyed more than 1,500 students from the graduating class of 2023. The research uncovered five ways the pandemic altered their postsecondary trajectory, namely their future career choices. For instance, more than 10% of students contemplated whether or not to attend college at all.

According to the data, students said the pandemic affected their thoughts on:

• Future career: 31%.
• Program of study or major: 27%.
• Which school to attend: 26%.
• Type of school to attend: 17%.
• Whether or not to attend college: 12%.

Several students shared their thoughts as to why they felt these feelings. For instance, one student said, “I also decided that community colleges are more suitable for me as they are not as expensive as universities.”

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Another student said COVID made them second-guess their decision to go to college because of how much it negatively impacted their academics.

“Before the pandemic, I always looked towards college and furthering my academics but once the pandemic hit it altered the way I looked at college,” they said. “It made me struggle in my high school years and made me doubt whether or not college was the best choice down the road.”

To that end, students were asked to identify the top challenges surrounding their thoughts toward college and their careers. Unsurprisingly, financial barriers top the list.

Students’ top challenges post-graduation:

• Greater financial difficulties: 37%
• Changing academic circumstances: 26%
• Doubt about college: 26%
• Heightened career influences: 23%
• Ranging mental health issues: 21%
• Education or career undecidedness: 18%

As the data suggests, these students’ postsecondary decisions may never be considered what’s been described as the traditional norm. Yet, colleges and universities must adapt to meet their needs. That said, here are four recommendations the researchers offer higher education institutions that want to make the class of 2023’s transition to college as seamless as possible:

• Connect with families who need scholarship assistance, work-study options and financial aid.
• Use reliable assessments and information to determine incoming students’ preparedness. Use that data and decide whether to offer short courses, tutoring, summer bridge programs and other options designed to support unfinished learning.
• Make mental health resources readily available to students.
• Encourage students to take advantage of opportunities that reflect their thoughts and feelings toward their life goals. Offer first-year experience courses, career planning programs and early internships.

The post 5 reasons fewer students may be going to college this year appeared first on University Business.

Today, nearly one-third of parents and students believe that a college education is overpriced, and 81% of families crossed a school off their list at some point due to cost, according to a Sallie Mae and Ipsos study. The published sticker price is now over $57,000 on average, nearly 20% more than the 2006-07 academic year, according to a report by College Board.

“You see these headlines of college prices skyrocketing, that sort of thing, you know, it sends a message to low-income families that college is unaffordable,” said Jill Desjean, senior policy analyst for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, according to The Hill.

Private colleges have inadvertently created a narrative that a degree from their institution is too burdensome despite the measures they’ve taken to make college more affordable. The net price for private colleges has fallen by 11% in five years once adjusted for inflation, and the grant aid offered per student on average in the 2022-23 academic year covered 43% of the sticker price.

More from UB: Trocaire College, Medaille University acquisition agreement falls through

How can colleges reveal their true cost?

Small private colleges are beginning to respond by implementing “tuition resets” on their sticker price, according to The New York Times. For example, Houghton University (N.Y.) now markets itself as the best-priced Christian college in the nation with its tuition cut. The same goes for Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) and Colby-Sawyer (N.H.).

Schools can also market the Department of Education’s net price calculator. However, Michele Shepard, senior director of college affordability at The Institute for College Access & Success, finds the information challenging for students to interpret since “There’s no standardization across how colleges communicate their numbers.” Although the Higher Education Opportunity Act mandated institutions to publish students’ net prices based on their circumstances, most are difficult to use and find.

Another software colleges can help promote is MyinTuition, which helps simplify the numbers.

The post Are private colleges losing potential students due to a bad marketing tactic? appeared first on University Business.

“Common App for transfer: a four-year retrospective” found that 55% of transfer applicants came from ZIP codes in the top quintile of median household income (20%). In the 2021-22 academic year alone, the top quintile of students initiated a transfer application 33,000 times more than the group with the second-most transfer, which happened to be the second-highest income quintile.

While school transfers are aimed at boosting education equity, students who leverage it the most seems to correlate with the student’s wealth.

To determine a student’s socioeconomic status, the Common App linked ZIP code-level median household income data from the American Community Survey to each U.S. applicant.

“These findings are somewhat concerning given that the college transfer process should reflect educational mobility for all students, especially for historically excluded groups,” wrote the report’s authors. “Our findings suggest that the transfer application process reflects the inequitable state of higher education.”

More from UB: Minnesota’s “bold action to make college affordable” results in free tuition

Similarly, the number of students in the last academic year who applied for a transfer not from an unrepresented minority (URM) was 53,000 more than those from a URM. However, their rate of applications has increased at the same rate (9%) over the past four academic years.

Additionally, the rate of continuing-education students applying for a transfer has increased by 12%, higher than first-generation students’ 3%. Almost 40,000 more continuing-education students applied for one during last year’s academic cycle than first-generation students,

Applicants from less-resourced backgrounds can’t keep up with their more well-to-do counterparts. Recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that upward transfers, such as those from two- to four-year institutions, declined by 7.5% during the 2021-22 academic year.

Because the Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) does not collect data on non-first-time applicants, there is no systemic, national data set for the Common App to analyze these results over an extended period. This data is “largely novel,” and they will continue to track this trend moving forward.

The post Over half of all transfer applicants hail from the country’s wealthiest zip codes appeared first on University Business.

Why does the Department of Agriculture now own the 60-acre tomb of a now-defunct, 181-year-old private university in rural southeast Iowa? The answer is more straightforward than you think. The USDA is taking out risky loans worth tens of millions of dollars to colleges and universities to prevent rural communities from becoming higher education “deserts,” according to The Hechinger Report.

The rural schools the USDA tends to take on are out of time and options for other lenders. In Iowa Wesleyan’s case, Gov. Kim Reynolds turned down the school’s request for $12 million, which eventually led to the school’s closure. Institutions have had to eliminate swaths of majors and have even resorted to merging or closing due to rural states cutting their higher education funding. This began ten years after the housing market crash of 2008.

Still, the USDA sees how universities like Wesleyan closing their doors can eventually lay detriment to a community, especially in the economic sector. Iowa Wesleyan, for example, had an estimated $55.1 million annual economic impact on southeast Iowa, according to a 2017 study conducted for the university by Hanover Research.

“Beyond the educational prospects, these institutions support small businesses who depend on the student and faculty population, and they make their communities a more attractive place to live,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “They generate opportunity,” Vilsack said. “When an area loses one of these colleges, like we are seeing in Mount Pleasant right now, it is a very emotional loss.”

Aside from the financial implications, rural colleges and universities that close down deprive students of postsecondary learning opportunities. As a result, the disparity between rural high school graduates attending a college or university compared to suburban high school graduates is growing. This is partially due to the 13 million Americans living in areas where the nearest university is beyond a reasonable commute away, which is especially true for those in the Midwest and Great Plains, according to a report from the American Council on Education.

A “net importer of talent,” Dordt University, which has an estimated $43.4 million annual economic impact on northwest Iowa, received a $30 million USDA loan to build a student common area and recital hall. About 40 percent of its students come from more than 400 miles away and 14% of them stay after graduating, according to Brandon Huisman, vice president for enrollment and marketing.

Even so, at least a dozen postsecondary institutions in rural areas have closed or announced their closings in the last three years.

The post The livelihood of some rural colleges depends on this 1 unlikely federal agency appeared first on University Business.

The “dream school”

Without taking acceptance or cost into consideration, students and parents were asked what their dream school would be. Here are the results:

Students and parents agreed on seven schools: MIT, Stanford, Harvard, NYU, UCLA, Princeton, and the University of Michigan.

Students seek career readiness, academics an afterthought

The academic reputation of a school and the education students would gain from a degree proved to be unpopular priorities for most students and parents.

More respondents chose a “College with the best program for my (my child’s) career interests” (38%) than they did a “College with the best academic reputation” (11%) for an institution they’d most likely select. Additionally, almost half of the respondents believed the biggest benefit of a college degree is the potential for a better job and income while only 23% chose its educational value.

Financing school is the top roadblock for applicants, parents

In 2003, 52% of respondents chose “Won’t get into first-choice college” as their biggest worry while 8% chose “Level of debt to pay for the degree.” Twenty years later, the respondents flipped the survey on its heads.

• 42% of respondents chose the answer “Level of debt to pay for the degree.”
• 27% worried that they “Will get into first-choice college but won’t be able to afford to attend.”
• Only 23% chose “Won’t get into first-choice college” as their top worry.

Similarly, 98% of respondents said financial aid will be necessary to support themselves or their child while 54% said the need would be “extremely likely.”

Access to scholarships and additional aid is one of the leading reasons students chose to take the SAT or ACT even though Ivy League schools and others no longer require standardized testing for admission consideration.

Read more on UB: Community college students hit an academic ceiling, report finds

Test-optional policies get mixed reviews

While access to scholarship money and other avenues of financial aid was the second-most quoted reason to take the SAT/ACT (33%), the leading reason was in hopes that standardized test scores could distinguish their application (43%).

Overall, schools’ test-optional policies aren’t creating such a hoopla. Nearly 70% of respondents reported that their policy didn’t affect their application decisions. However, 23% of respondents said they were more likely to apply to a test-optional college.

“Our hope is that all students bound for college can access resources to identify the school best for them, get accepted to it, get funding for it, and graduate to rewarding and successful careers,” said Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review and director of the survey.

The post Survey: Students and parents stress cost and career prep when picking a college appeared first on University Business.

University of Oregon’s Teaching and Learning Center recommends two to three hours of study time a week per class on average, which comes up to about 30 hours a week for a full-time student. Higher education advisor Blanca Villagomez identifies that this workload doesn’t account for students taking more rigorous classes, who face a more robust work schedule.

“Essentially, college students are encouraged to treat their classes and study time as full-time jobs. However, the reality is very different,” Villagomez said. “Right now affordability is a significant concern for many students, as the cost of tuition and living continues to rise, and loans become an inevitable loyal companion.”

Students earning current minimum wage

If college tuition continues its ascent while the minimum wage remains constant, the majority of states would demand students work 60+ hours, three of which would require more than 90 hours. Students in 18 states would have to work between 40 and 60 hours.

Students in all but three (!) states would have to work more than 40 hours a week to pay for school and living expenses. New Mexico, Missouri and Florida all have a minimum wage in the $11 range.

• Pennsylvania (minimum wage: $7.25): 100 work hours to sustain $37,578 annual tuition and living costs.
• Wisconsin (minimum wage: $7.25): 88 work hours to sustain $33,334 annual tuition and living costs.
• Georgia (minimum wage: $7.25): 72 work hours to sustain $27,174 annual tuition and living costs.
• Texas (minimum wage: $7.25): 69 work hours to sustain $26,112 annual tuition and living costs.
• New York (minimum wage: $13.20): 57 work hours to sustain $28,484 annual tuition and living costs.
• California (minimum wage: $15.00): 43 work hours to sustain $33,492 annual tuition and living costs.

States like Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey had some of the highest minimum wages – upwards to $14.25 an hour – and still the average required working hours for students exceeded 50 hours.

Students earning $15 minimum wage

With a federal wage boosted to $15, half the United States would enjoy needing to work less than 40 hours a week. However, states—primarily in the Northeast—would still demand from their students 45+ hours of work. Adding in an average of 30 hours a week a student needs to study outside of class, their “workload” comes out to more than 70 hours a week, which does not include time spent in class or transportation.

Also, of the 25 states featuring students working less than 40 hours a week, 17 of those still required 30-40 hours of $15 minimum wage work.

Even with the federal minimum wage doubled, high tuition costs, like in Massachusetts and Arizona, offsets student ability to pay for school.

• Massachusetts: 65 work hours to sustain $51,024 annual tuition and living costs
• Vermont: 57 work hours to sustain $44,688 annual tuition and living costs
• Virginia: 46 work hours to sustain $35,470 annual tuition and living costs
• Maryland: 45 work hours to sustain $35,388 annual tuition and living costs
• Arizona: 45 work hours to sustain $34,964 annual tuition and living costs
• Illinois: 41 work hours to sustain $31,858 annual tuition and living costs

This is a glass-half-full/half-empty situation: Should we celebrate that half the country can work fewer than 40 hours a week, or should we be concerned that half the country still can’t support its students at $15 per hour?

“In an ideal world, balancing a full-time academic load with 12-15 work hours every week would be ideal for student success,” said Villagomez. “The benefits? It allows students to dedicate the majority of their time to studying and completing their assignments.”

More from UB: How Vermont is winning the fight against falling enrollment

The post With tuition costs so high, a new minimum wage won’t help students appeared first on University Business.

The online school will be offering its Believe and Achieve Scholarship starting in February, offering undergraduate, graduate, and flex-learning students a chance at free college credits. Most of their course-based programs will be eligible for the scholarship while some programs may provide less or more.

“Many Walden University students are working professionals who carry not only the stresses of an ongoing career but also quite often the responsibility of supporting a family,” said Walden University Associate President and Provost Sue Subocz. “The Believe and Achieve Scholarship helps make our great programs even more affordable for students while maintaining the flexibility working professionals need.”

Here is what students can earn with the Believe and Achieve Scholarship depending on their college level:

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Bachelor’s Programs

Students will initially receive $1,500 toward tuition, followed by one tuition-free course for every three 5-credit courses they pass at Walden.

There are caveats; specifically, for their Bachelor’s Programs in Nursing, Elementary Education, and Social Work. Learn more here.

Master’s Programs

Two tuition-free courses for select programs.

Other Walden University programs provide more perks, such as for Master of Public Health students, who will receive three tuition-free courses. Students interested in an MS in clinical mental health or school counseling can expect four tuition-free courses. Read more on the website.

Tempo Learning

Tempo learning is a subscription-based, learn-at-your-own-pace program offering a tuition-free subscription for every four paid subscription periods completed.

Note: Every level had different caveats that might preclude certain programs from being eligible for the scholarships listed. Check the scholarship’s website to learn more.

The Believe and Achieve Scholarship is applicable to new and readmitted students. Students must be enrolled in an eligible program and have not withdrawn for more than a year.

The post How one university is opening the door for cash-strapped students appeared first on University Business.

Since the pandemic, colleges and universities have struggled to alleviate stressors that existed even prior to the pandemic, such as affordable college and higher ed’ value proposition. Unfortunately, the past two years exacerbated those effects, not only across postsecondary institutions but in the K12 sphere as well, and those two worlds work hand-in-hand with one another.

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), an organization that serves to support statewide governing, policy and coordinating boards of postsecondary education staff, recently published a report outlining 10 state priorities for higher education in 2023.

Let’s first take a look at the top three, starting with the national teacher shortage which was tied for the number one priority in 2023.

K12 teacher workforce

As school districts continue to face challenges in recruiting and retaining their teaching staff, leaders in higher education fear how it will impact students’ success in college.

“The shortages, which were exacerbated by the pandemic, vary across districts, regions, states, and teacher specialties, and have left schools increasingly dependent on emergency certifications to fill key positions,” the report reads. “In the survey, SHEEOs noted that student success in higher education is built upon a foundation in K12 education and the central role of high-quality K12 teachers in contributing to students’ successful educational journeys.

“SHEEOs also noted that the teacher shortage is a multifaceted issue that requires the attention of the higher education community, but also an examination of other factors, including poor teacher pay, a lack of respect for the profession, and political agendas aimed at teachers.”

Economic and workforce development

Tied with the K12 teacher workforce, economic and workforce development is the number one public policy issue for SHEEOs entering 2023. Although the issue existed for years prior to the pandemic, the pandemic created even more complex disruptions to the labor market that may trouble states for years to come.

“State higher education leaders advance economic and workforce development objectives by collaborating with employers to identify needs and developing programs and partnerships aligned to their needs,” the report reads. “In the survey, SHEEOs noted significant unmet labor market demands in their states, its centrality as a state policy priority, and the need for public higher education to demonstrate its value to stakeholders by meeting state workforce needs. They also noted that higher education itself needs to be seen for its contributions beyond economic and workforce development.”

State funding for financial aid programs

Despite seeing little overall state support, financial aid programs were the third most important issue as indicated by survey respondents.

“SHEEOs described financial aid programs as an important priority for states that currently rank low in need-based aid and seek to expand and fund new programs, as well as states with large preexisting investments in financial aid that seek to maintain or grow their programs despite the looming threat of an economic recession.

Takeaways

The upcoming legislative session serves as an opportunity for policymakers to make “historic investments” in public postsecondary education, the report highlights.

“Higher education can be a key partner for states as they seek to navigate the complex, multifaceted challenges of the post-pandemic era and work to build a durable economic foundation for the years ahead. Because of this unique opportunity, the decisions made this year will affect both higher education and states for years to come.”

Additional state priorities among the top 10 list

4. State operating support for public colleges and universities

5. Higher education’s value proposition

6. Enrollment decline

6 (tie). College affordability

8. Public perception of higher education

9. Addressing equity gaps

10. College completion/student success

More from UB: Nearly 40% of college supervisors say they’re looking for work

The post At the state level, these are the top priorities for higher ed in 2023 appeared first on University Business.