Most rural high school graduates are not pursuing higher education.  

According to the U.S. Department of Education, in 2023 about 90 percent of rural students graduated from high school but only 29 percent of them enrolled in higher education. For rural students and families, barriers to college access and success may include limited post-secondary opportunities in high school (such as dual credit courses), insufficient information about college- selection processes, increases in college costs, or long distances to post-secondary institutions. In addition, many young adults who grow up in rural communities may not return to their hometowns for employment post-college.

Because there are limited data on this complex dynamic, the ECMC Foundation launched a Rural Impact Initiative to enhance the field’s understanding of the unique challenges, opportunities, and assets of rural post-secondary institutions and learners. The initiative’s ultimate goal is to strengthen the ecosystem through increased completion and capacity building.

NORC is evaluating the ECMC Foundation’s efforts to support college-going in rural areas.

In 2024, the ECMC Foundation commissioned NORC to assess its Rural Impact Initiative. We are conducting a multi-year, mixed-method evaluation to identify evidence and outcomes that advance the foundation’s goal of eliminating equity gaps in rural post-secondary education by 2040. We are collecting data through grantee focus groups, key stakeholder and college student surveys, interviews with philanthropic organizations and college students, media and policy scans, and a review of documents using cutting-edge machine learning techniques.

Our study is guided by the following evaluation questions:

• What new knowledge and evidence are research-focused grantees generating about what it takes to support rural student success?
• To what extent do grantee-supported rural-serving institutions have the capacity needed to operate and better serve learners?
• What does it take to ensure higher education is a key partner to rural communities?
• How, if at all, are funded projects countering deficit-based narratives about rural communities and centering the diversity and resiliency that exists in rural communities?