A recent report sheds light on the challenges faced by students at California’s rural community colleges in pursuing bachelor’s degrees, highlighting geographic and informational barriers that complicate transfer to four-year universities. The findings come from a survey conducted by the RP Group, a nonpartisan research organization specializing in California’s community colleges. The survey included nearly 5,000 students from both rural and urban campuses and was released last week.
The study found that rural and nonrural students share similar confidence levels in their academic abilities and exhibit comparable aspirations to earn a bachelor’s degree. However, rural students frequently encounter obstacles that make transferring more difficult. Many reside in areas where public universities are located at least 25 miles away from their community college, making relocation costly and disruptive. The need to care for family members also limits students’ ability to move. Additionally, rural students tend to have less familiarity with the transfer process and less access to counseling and support services that help navigate it.
The report noted that rural students are more likely to have caregiving responsibilities, including caring for children and older relatives, further restricting their transfer options. With these constraints, about 72% of rural respondents indicated a willingness to pursue bachelor’s degrees directly through their community colleges, compared to 60% of students at nonrural institutions.
Despite this interest, recent state legislation may complicate efforts by rural colleges to offer more bachelor’s degree programs. Assembly Bill 2694 and Senate Bill 960, signed into law in May by Governor Gavin Newsom, introduce a tiered system that limits the number of bachelor’s degree programs each community college district can offer. Districts will be ranked based on metrics such as the percentage of students who earn degrees or certificates or successfully transfer to four-year universities. Those with higher rates can offer up to 12 bachelor’s degrees, while districts with lower rates may be restricted to just one or two programs.
Kate Mahar, associate vice president of innovation and strategic initiatives at Shasta College, expressed concern that this tiered system could disproportionately affect rural colleges. “This arbitrary ranking of what colleges are worthy to have bachelor’s degrees could end up working against us for the very reason we want to have it,” Mahar said. She pointed out that rural students generally face greater transfer challenges, potentially lowering their districts’ rankings and limiting their ability to create new bachelor’s degree programs.
The report recommends that rural community colleges adopt more proactive counseling strategies tailored to their unique student populations. Suggestions include providing detailed, step-by-step transfer guides, hosting workshops, and ensuring counselors have dedicated time for advising as well as professional development focused on transfer pathways. The authors caution that passive approaches, such as relying solely on online resources, are inadequate for addressing students’ needs.
Katie Brohawn, one of the report’s authors, emphasized the importance of flexibility in degree delivery for rural students. “For the rural students, they want that degree. They’re less concerned with how they physically get it,” she said, underscoring the desire for local bachelor’s degree options that accommodate their geographic and personal constraints.