Rural Community College Students Face Barriers to Bachelor Degrees

Geographic Deserts and Transfer Obstacles for Rural Students

The research organization surveyed nearly 5,000 community college students for its report, released Tuesday. The findings reveal that rural students exhibit academic confidence levels comparable to their nonrural peers, with only 8% reporting a complete lack of confidence in their academic capabilities, versus 7% at nonrural campuses. Yet, physical geography creates severe hurdles. Many rural students live in university deserts, defined as locations with no public California universities within at least 25 miles of a community college. Relocating to attend a four-year institution often requires prohibitive moving costs or abandoning local jobs and caregiving responsibilities. The RP Group found that rural students are more likely than nonrural peers to care for children, older relatives, or other dependents.

Beyond geography, rural students report less familiarity with the procedural steps of transferring. They lack equal access to guidance resources, such as university campus tours or transfer fairs. The report’s co-director, Daisy Segovia, noted that this inability to transfer stems from structural hurdles rather than internal doubts about being a university student. To combat this, the report recommends proactive counseling approaches, including step-by-step guides, checklists, and transfer workshops, alongside protected time for counselors to manage proactive advising.

Legislative Caps and the Community College Baccalaureate Market

Despite these transfer bottlenecks, 72% of rural students surveyed expressed openness to earning a bachelor’s degree directly at their local community college, compared to 60% of nonrural respondents. “For the rural students, they want that degree. They’re less concerned with how they physically get it,” said Katie Brohawn, one of the report’s authors. However, newly approved state policy may complicate these institutional expansions. Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a two-bill package comprising Assembly Bill 2694 and Senate Bill 960.

The legislation establishes a tiered system governing the distribution of bachelor’s degree programs across community college districts. Districts are sorted into five distinct tiers based on the share of students who complete a degree or certificate or transfer to a four-year university. Only districts achieving the highest performance tier receive authorization to offer up to a maximum of 12 bachelor’s degrees.