Why Many Rural Latinx Students Choose a College Close to Home

“So, what’s it gonna be?” I ask my 17-year-old sister.

“Fresno State,” she proudly replies.

On May 1, high school seniors from across the country will submit their intent to register at the college of their choice this fall. Students will make these decisions as the U.S. Department of Education is under threat, with President Donald J. Trump seeking to dismantle the department. According to the administration, some “core necessities” will be preserved, such as Pell Grants, which provide financial aid to low-income students to assist with college costs.

Affordability is a significant factor shaping students’ college enrollment, with about seven million undergraduate students relying on Pell Grants.

While college affordability matters, there are additional, often overlooked reasons that rural Latinx students, who represent 11.5 percent of rural students in higher education, consider when deciding where to enroll.

My sister, for example, chose to enroll in California State University, Fresno, despite receiving more financial aid from institutions farther away from our small, unincorporated community in California’s San Joaquin Valley agricultural region. She also chose this institution despite being admitted to more selective universities in the state. Her primary reason was wanting to be “close to home.”

My sister’s college choice and reasoning differed from mine. I attended the University of California, Los Angeles, as an undergraduate student, 155 miles away from our hometown, compared to Fresno State, which is about 80 miles away.

As the oldest daughter in my family, I heeded the advice of my teachers and counselors, who were primarily white educators. They suggested that I attend UCLA because of its reputation and the opportunities it could provide.

Now, as an assistant professor of higher education research, I understand the college choice process, especially for rural Latinx youth, differently, and recognize the high value of attending local and regional institutions close to home.

In a study I conducted to investigate the college choices of nine rural Latinx youth who intentionally chose to enroll in a local or regional institution in the San Joaquin Valley, I found that these enrollments reflected their belief that they would be most successful in nearby institutions that reflected the demographics and tight-knit culture of their high school and community—revealing the power of students choosing an institution that makes sense for them and their personal, educational and professional needs.

Other higher education researchers would likely label my sister’s enrollment in Fresno State and the above nine students’ enrollment in local and regional institutions as examples of “academic undermatch.” This theory explains why some students, especially high-achieving students from low-income or historically underrepresented backgrounds, enroll in less selective higher education institutions than those for which they are academically qualified.

However, in my conversations with my sister and through my 10-year research career of empirically investigating the college applications and choices of Latinx youth across rural regions of California, I have found that these youth prioritize factors like proximity to home and attachments to place in their college decision-making.

Youth from small rural towns and geographically isolated communities may be less concerned with factors of institutional prestige and selectivity and more concerned with making college choices that make logistical, financial and emotional sense for them.

For instance, in one research study I conducted with 16 rural Latinx college-going youth from California’s San Joaquin Valley, Xavier, a young rural Latino man, chose to attend his local community college, despite gaining admission into multiple public four-year universities, because he was responsible for looking after his younger siblings while his parents, migrant farmworkers, worked. This decision made logistical sense for him, since he could easily get to the campus and his family needed a caretaker. It was also financially sensible to attend the community college, as it was cheaper, and he saved money by living at home while in college. Emotionally, the choice allowed him to contribute to his family as a caretaker, providing him a sense of fulfillment, and also allowed him to stay physically connected with his family during his college experience.

This is one of many examples I have documented in my research that demonstrate the distinct priorities rural Latinx students weigh when making college decisions. While Latinx students from urban areas may also choose to stay close to home for college for familial or financial reasons, they typically have more college opportunities, in terms of both the quantity and quality of higher education institutions nearby, than those living in rural areas. This is why, for example, my teachers and counselors encouraged me to attend UCLA and leave my community and the San Joaquin Valley entirely.

My college-going experience highlights the role of factors like institutional selectivity, future job prospects and earnings. Other rural Latinx youth may also attend college for social mobility, economic opportunity and financial stability. However, they often discuss these economic matters within the context of their low-income family units, as well as their desires for generational wealth within their families and systemic change in their communities, which differs from the individualistic and capitalistic framings of traditional higher education theories and models.

Also, contrary to popular belief, a report from the American Enterprise Institute found that median earnings for graduates of less selective four-year colleges were generally comparable to those of graduates from more selective institutions.

This perception about the false utility of a “better and bigger” college was emphasized by the student Xavier, who stressed that while he could have attended a more selective institution, it would inevitably come at a cost of being away from his family and community—people who loved him, nurtured him and ultimately had propelled him on his college-going pathway.

Rural Latinx youth make college decisions that are rooted in their identities, cultures, upbringings, families, communities and attachments to people and place. They make conscious college choices that deeply reflect their intersectional, marginalized identities, educational needs and the realities they face.

Such intentional decision-making is even more pertinent as Trump seeks to dramatically ramp up immigration raids, separating families and traumatizing communities. This is yet another reason why some rural Latinx college-going youth may prioritize staying close to home, due to pervasive fear and a desire to ensure their family and community members are safe.

This is the relevant sociopolitical context related to factors of geographic proximity, home, family, community and place that youth in my current higher education access research study in California’s Central Coast agricultural region consider when deciding where to attend college.

The college decisions of rural Latinx youth are inseparable from this national and historical context. Students make their decisions within the context of their families’ migration to the U.S. and their dreams of a better life, not only for themselves and their immediate family members, but also for their entire communities and future generations.

With these values and goals in mind, it makes sense why students like Xavier and my sister might prefer local community colleges and regional public four-year universities over more selective and distant institutions that may offer more resources and opportunities but are far removed from the people and places that make them them.

My parents recently received an email about “why location matters for [my sister’s] college choice” from one of the more selective public higher education institutions in California, where she was admitted. The message highlighted the institution’s “exceptional academic opportunities,” “unparalleled access to numerous Fortune 500 companies,” as well as the “beautiful coastline,” recreational activities and safety.

This institution’s understanding of relevant location factors differed from my parents’ concerns as well as the worries rural Latinx youth frequently raise in my interviews with them, such as significant distances between higher education institutions and their hometowns, issues of transportation, affordability challenges in high-cost cities, and the overall impact that living in a large, urban area will have on their identities, sense of belonging and well-being. Many rural Latinx youth come from small, tight-knit communities, where they have grown up with the same individuals their entire lives.

Higher education institutions must not only visit and recruit from rural schools and communities as an initial step, but they must also ensure that once rural students enroll, the institutions are truly serving their identities, interests and educational needs to assure rural student satisfaction with their college choice and their success in higher education and beyond.

As families, community members, teachers, counselors and higher education advocates advise rural Latinx youth about their college options, they need to consider what makes the most sense for the student’s current reality. There is no wrong choice between the local community college, the regional public four-year university or the faraway selective university.

What matters in rural Latinx youth’s decision-making is that their personal and professional priorities are engaged, and their agency as emerging young adults making one of the most important life decisions is centered, honored and supported.