Report Recommends Targeted Financing Policies for Rural Community Colleges

Preserving Access with Excellence, a new report by MDC and the Rural Community College Initiative, identifies state and federal policies for educating rural communities.

Contact: Christopher Mazzeo
Education Policy Studies by Justin Wellner NGA Center for Best Practices

The study notes that due to their isolated location, many of the 1.8 million adults attending rural community colleges have no other option for accessing higher education. Currently, access for these students is being threatened by policies that increase tuition and reduce institutional support and financial aid. For instance, rural community colleges are heavily dependent upon state funding, yet state higher education funding in real dollars per student has declined in the last decade. State funding formulas also fail to recognize that rural colleges have higher operating costs.

One strategy to maintain access for these students is to adjust state funding formulas. The report recommends that states should consider providing higher funding per full-time equivalent student for rural schools with enrollment below 2,500. Another strategy is to target funding to support technical education programs in rural areas. These traditionally are high-cost programs for rural community colleges, but would aid in local economic development. Two technical programs that should be a high priority for states to finance for rural schools are nursing and allied health.
Related Links:

* Preserving Access with Excellence http://www.mdcinc.org/rcci/preserving_access.pdf

http://www.nga.org/center/frontAndCenter/1,1188,C_FRONT_CENTER%5ED_5687,00.html