Rural residents seeking higher degrees often have to move; lawmakers think community colleges may have a solution

Jaylea Perez attends community college but will have to move if she
 wants a 4-year degree. (Photo by Mike Rundle, The Hechinger Report)

Rural communities across the United States face the same problem: There aren't enough higher education opportunities within driving distance. To fill ‘education deserts,’ more state lawmakers want community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees," reports Jon Marcus for The Hechinger Report, which covers education.

The U.S. has roughly 13 million adults who "live beyond a reasonable commute from the nearest four-year university," Marcus explains. For now, the lack of educational options is predicted to increase "as private colleges in rural places close, public university campuses merge or shut down and rural universities cut majors and programs."

Although half of the states in the country already allow community colleges to offer some type of bachelor's degree, several of those that don't are considering adding this option. Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky and Texas are all states with large swaths of rural populations that have legislatures considering plans to allow community colleges to expand.

The proposal Illinois is considering is "backed by that state’s governor, J.B. Pritzker, who has said the move would make it easier and more affordable for residents to get degrees — 'particularly working adults in rural communities,'" Marcus adds. "Three-quarters of community college students in Illinois said they would pursue bachelor’s degrees if they could do it on the same campus, according to a survey released by Pritzker’s office."

The shift to allowing community colleges to confer higher degrees might also help smaller communities address population loss and "brain drain." Marcus reports, "Fewer than 25% of rural Americans hold bachelor’s degrees or higher, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, compared to the national average of 33%," and that gap is widening.

Some states looking to make the change are contending with push-back from their larger colleges. The Illinois proposal "is stalled in committee after several public and private university presidents issued a statement opposing it," Marcus reports. "Negotiations are continuing."

To find out which states have active proposals and which 'deserts' they are trying to address, read the entire story here.