Education Deserts in Rural US: What Are They & How Kansas is Closing the Gap

Key Takeaways

• Two out of every three college students attend school within 25 miles of home — which puts rural residents at a serious disadvantage when no college is nearby.
• An "education desert" is any area with zero or only one public broad-access college — and the Midwest and Great Plains are among the hardest-hit regions in the country.
• Lower degree attainment, limited career options, and shrinking local populations create a cycle that's hard to break without targeted solutions.
• Online learning alone is not enough — broadband gaps and documented outcomes gaps make it an incomplete fix for rural students.
• Real solutions exist: community colleges, hybrid learning models, and institutional partnerships are turning some Kansas education deserts into genuine oases.

Growing up in places like rural Kansas means wide-open spaces, tight-knit communities, and a strong sense of place. But for students who dream of earning a college degree without leaving everything they know behind, that same sense of place can feel like a wall. The nearest college might be an hour's drive away — if it exists at all. This is the reality of living in an education desert, and it affects far more Kansas families than most people realize.

Most Undergraduates Study Within 25 Miles of Home — Here's Why That Hurts Rural Kansas

It might sound like a myth shaped by movies — the eager student packing up and heading off to a faraway campus. In reality, two in every three undergraduates attend college within just 25 miles of home, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. That's not a coincidence. It reflects the real lives of today's students: working jobs, raising kids, caring for family members, and simply not having the financial cushion to relocate.

This statistic tells a positive story for students in cities and suburbs, where colleges tend to cluster. But for students in rural areas, it flips into something much harder. If the nearest public broad-access college is 60 or 80 miles away, that 25-mile reality becomes a 25-mile problem. Education experts, like those from the Newman University HERE program at Garden City Community College, say distance doesn't just add commute time — research consistently shows that the further a student lives from a college, the less likely they are to enroll at all. And students from lower-income and rural backgrounds are most affected by that distance.

For rural Kansas families, this isn't a hypothetical. It's a daily calculation: Is the degree worth the drive? The gas money? The time away from work or family? When the answer keeps coming back "no," the opportunity for upward mobility quietly disappears.

What Makes a Place an 'Education Desert'?

The term "education desert" was coined and developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has since been widely used in higher education policy conversations. It describes a specific, measurable condition — not just a vague sense that college feels far away.

Zero or One Public Broad-Access College Nearby

An education desert is a local area — typically measured by commuting zones or census-defined regions — where there are either zero or only one public broad-access college nearby. A "broad-access" institution is generally one that admits at least 75-80% of applicants: think community colleges and regional public universities, not flagship research schools.

Why does the distinction matter? Broad-access institutions are specifically designed to serve their surrounding communities. They're the schools most likely to offer affordable tuition, open enrollment, and flexible scheduling for working adults. When a community has none — or only one — the local higher education marketplace becomes dangerously thin.

Why the Midwest and Great Plains Are Hit Hardest

Geography and population density play a major role in where education deserts form — and the pattern is not random. The Midwest and Great Plains states, including Kansas, are among the most heavily affected regions in the country. Commuting zones in these areas are often large in square mileage but sparse in population, making it economically difficult to sustain multiple colleges.

Research by Nicholas Hillman and Taylor Weichman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that the greatest concentration of commuting-zone education deserts sits in the Midwest and Great Plains — far more than in New England or Mid-Atlantic states. The average population of a commuting-zone education desert is approximately 72,100 people. That's not a ghost town — it's a real community with real students, real workers, and real families who simply don't have enough public higher education options within reach.

Why 'Just Go Online' Isn't the Answer

When the subject of rural education access comes up, the most common response is: "Can't they just take classes online?" It sounds reasonable — and online learning has genuinely expanded access for many students. But the reality on the ground in rural areas is more complicated.

Broadband Gaps Make Online Learning Unreliable

Online education requires one non-negotiable resource: a reliable, fast internet connection. And that's precisely what many rural Kansas households don't have. Infrastructure reports and policy analyses consistently identify broadband access as a key barrier to making online and hybrid education viable in rural areas.

Students who attempt online coursework with spotty satellite internet or no home connection at all face constant disruptions — dropped video calls during lectures, failed assignment uploads, inability to access course materials when they're needed most. These aren't minor inconveniences; they're the kinds of repeated failures that lead students to disengage entirely.

Research Shows Online Programs Serve Some Students Poorly

Beyond the infrastructure problem, the research on online learning outcomes raises real concerns — especially for the kinds of students who make up much of rural Kansas's prospective college population.

Studies cited in both the American Council on Education's research and Third Way's analysis of education deserts found that online learning produces measurably worse outcomes for students of color and for students who commute or work while enrolled. Rural students frequently fall into both of those categories. Research from community college systems shows that students in online courses consistently underperform compared to their peers in face-to-face settings, particularly during their first college experience.

From Desert to Oasis: Solutions Taking Shape in Kansas

The good news is that education deserts aren't permanent features of the landscape. Across Kansas, a range of strategies are helping transform constrained educational environments into genuine oases — places where students have real, accessible pathways to degrees.

Community Colleges as the First Line of Access

Community colleges are, without question, the backbone of rural higher education. In education deserts, they enroll the majority of students — often by a wide margin over any other type of institution. They're designed for open access, affordable tuition, and local relevance, offering everything from two-year associate degrees to certificate programs tied directly to regional workforce needs.

In Kansas, community colleges serve as the primary — and sometimes only — public broad-access option for residents in many rural counties. Strengthening these institutions, increasing their program offerings, and ensuring they have the resources to support student success are among the most direct ways to chip away at the education desert problem.

Satellite Campuses, Hybrid Models, and Institutional Partnerships

Some Kansas universities are extending their reach into underserved rural communities through satellite campuses, hybrid learning models, and strategic institutional partnerships. Rather than expecting rural students to come to them, these universities are finding ways to deliver education closer to where students already live and work.

A hybrid model — part in-person, part online — can be especially effective when paired with strong local infrastructure. A student might attend a classroom session at a nearby community college facility once or twice a week and complete the rest of their coursework online. This reduces the burden of long commutes while still providing the structured, face-to-face engagement that research shows improves outcomes for first-time college students.

Partnerships between four-year universities and community colleges are also expanding the transfer pipeline. A student who earns an associate degree locally can transfer seamlessly into a bachelor's program — without having to restart their academic journey or leave their community entirely.

Rural Students Have Real Options — Start Exploring Them

Living in a rural community doesn't have to mean choosing between a degree and the life already built there. Higher education experts, including those at the Newman University HERE program at Garden City Community College, say the education desert problem is real, well-documented, and serious — but it's not without solutions. Community colleges are expanding access. Hybrid and satellite models are bringing coursework closer to home. Financial aid programs are making the math work.

The key is knowing where to look and what questions to ask. Rural students who take the time to review their options — including partnerships, transfer pathways, and targeted financial aid — often find that a college degree is more attainable than it first seemed. The barriers are real, but they're not insurmountable.

Newman University
City: Wichita
Address: 3100 McCormick
Website: https://newmanu.edu/