Reporting Guide: Rural College Students

Like many groups seeking higher education, rural students are not a monolith — and, in many cases, they defy the stereotypical notion of traditional college-goers. They might be older, have children or work full time as they pursue their studies. 

As reporters, it’s important to capture this nuance and share the breadth of the rural-student experience. At the Education Writers Association’s 2025 Higher Education Seminar in Detroit last September, panelists convened to offer their perspectives and provide tips and resources for reporters seeking to better their coverage of rural students.

Participants

• Gabriel Clark, who graduated from the College of Eastern Idaho, a community college in his home state, before transferring to Stanford University. Clark experienced challenges in high school, but found success at CEI — and then received the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation undergraduate transfer scholarship to support his studies at Stanford.
  

• Ty McNamee, assistant professor of educational policy studies and evaluation at the University of Kentucky. McNamee, who grew up on a ranch in Wyoming, researches access and equity for rural students and faculty development in rural postsecondary institutions.
• David Salinas, career navigator at UpSKILL Coastal Bend in Texas. With prior experience as a photojournalist, car salesman and child protective services worker, Salinas brings a grassroots, human-centered approach to help adults resume – and finish – their education.

• Madeline de Figueiredo, panel moderator and rural reporting fellow with The Daily Yonder, where she reports on public health in rural communities.

Top Takeaways

• Rural students may not fit the mold of a traditional college student. Many rural students might be adult learners with full-time jobs and even children. That means they typically have a sense of urgency when seeking higher education, with a laser-focus on the time and money it will take them to earn their degree or credential, David Salinas said. These students may also need additional support from their schools, such as child care, transportation or equipment like scrubs and stethoscopes.
  

• A sense of community is especially important to rural students — both at home and on campus. Rural students’ communities, including their family, friends and teachers, often play an integral role in their success — something Gabriel Clark experienced firsthand. Additionally, rural students’ desire for community can be an asset when they get to campus, Ty McNamee said, as they come equipped with skills for “relationship building and network building.”
  

• Not all rural students are seeking higher education to leave their communities. While the “brain drain” of rural communities has become a common narrative, McNamee said his research shows the reality is “much more complex than that.” For instance, the rise of remote work means that some students may return to their rural communities after completing their studies. And some students may even pursue higher education in the hopes of securing a job that will benefit their community, such as working in health care or governmental advocacy for rural areas.
  

• Higher education can help rural students – especially adult learners – level-up. Some rural students may not seek a full four- or two-year degree, especially if they are working adults. Enrolling in a short-term credential program, which can take six months or less to complete, can help students gain tangible skills to earn more money in their jobs, Salinas said.
  
  
• Colleges can serve as anchor institutions for communities, not just the students on campus. Rural colleges can provide a pathway to success for students, but they can also serve as the “lifeblood” of their communities, McNamee said. For instance, they might host art or cultural events that enrich the lives of nearby residents, or they might serve as spaces for people to become engaged politically by serving as polling places or hosting voter-registration events. 

Story Ideas

• Rural-serving institutions: Multiple studies have shown that most students attend college close to home. In 2020, roughly two-thirds of students attended college within 50 miles of their permanent home address, according to The Institute for College Access and Success. That means it’s likely rural students will attend college nearby.And the work that rural colleges do – from supporting civic engagement to covering basic needs for students and equipping the local workforce with new skills – is critically important in their communities, panelists said. How can you highlight that work, and the positive outcomes for the community, in your reporting?
• Student experiences: How do students’ experiences vary from nearby rural colleges to larger universities? Do the larger schools provide resources to help rural students succeed, or are there additional supports they should be providing? And how are students setting themselves up for success despite hurdles they might face?
  

• Federal changes to Pell Grants: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act extended Pell Grants to short-term programs, which are between eight to 15 weeks. How might the change impact rural community colleges and the students they serve?
  
• Wraparound services: Many rural colleges provide more than an education to their students. They might offer child care to help adult learners with children. They might have a campus food bank, or they might provide other financial support. What services do the colleges in your area provide, and how do they help students?

Reporting Tips

• Go to rural students’ communities. Visiting rural communities can help reporters better understand rural students and the hurdles they might face, Salinas said.
  
• Try to find student sources beyond those in traditional, visible leadership roles on campus. While it’s tempting to contact student leaders or scholarship recipients, they might not represent the full breadth of students’ experiences, Madeline de Figueiredo noted.
  
  Try contacting college staff and faculty to see if they can connect you with students. And keep in mind that it may be easier to speak with adult learners off campus, out in the community, given their work schedules, Salinas said.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Make your coverage reciprocal, not extractive. Try to build lasting relationships with rural students and people in their communities. When you write about them, make sure to follow up and send them links to your coverage, so they can see how their perspectives informed your work, Clark suggested.
• Showcase barriers as systemic, not individual. Barriers to higher education for rural students are often systemic and indicative of larger patterns, McNamee said. Try to frame your reporting in a way that recognizes that, even if you are writing about a single source and highlighting their individual story.

• But note that barriers aren’t insurmountable. McNamee encouraged reporters to illustrate how students overcome these challenges and succeed, too.

Resources

• McNamee recommended the research of Corbin Campbell, a professor at American University’s School of Education. Her research quantitatively examined teaching and learning across various institutions, such as community colleges, public regional colleges and research universities.
• McNamee also referenced his own research, including work on the experiences of poor, working-class and rural students at community colleges and large research universities.
• Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC), is a research collaborative at Appalachian State University that provides resources on rural colleges.
• Rural Talent Development and Attraction Lab is a five-state project in which ARRC partners with rural higher education stakeholders and communities to create pathways for the rural workforce.