What Higher Education Owes Rural Students

July 10, 2026 - 09:17

A new book challenges the long-held assumption that rural students simply do not aspire to attend top-tier universities. In "Educated Out," author Mara Casey Tieken argues that the problem is not a lack of ambition among rural youth, but a systemic failure of higher education to recruit, support, and welcome them. Tieken's research reveals that many rural students have strong academic goals, including a desire for elite institutions, yet they face significant barriers that their urban and suburban peers do not.

These obstacles are not just financial. They include a lack of college counseling in underfunded rural high schools, limited access to Advanced Placement courses, and a cultural disconnect between rural communities and the often urban-centric values of prestigious universities. Tieken points out that when rural students do make it to college, they frequently encounter an environment that feels alienating, leading to higher dropout rates. The book calls on colleges to actively recruit from rural areas, provide better financial aid packages that account for the real costs of leaving home, and create campus climates that value rural perspectives rather than treating them as deficits. The core message is clear: higher education owes these students a genuine opportunity, not just a symbolic open door.