University Students Support Rural College Aspirations

The Rural Area Student Initiative connects current college students with their former high schools to assist local teens.

Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in College Applications

Bold vector illustration of a rustic school desk with a book and prairie grass stem, signifying rural educational support. — The Rural Area Student Initiative at the University of Illinois helps students from rural towns navigate college applications and scholarship opportunities. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you believe university outreach programs effectively help rural students pursue higher education?

The Rural Area Student Initiative at the University of Illinois helps rural high school students overcome barriers to higher education. Through a targeted liaison program, college students return to their own hometowns to share scholarship and application resources.

Why it matters

Rural students often face significant obstacles to pursuing higher education, including financial hardship, limited transportation, and gaps in technology access. This initiative aims to bridge the attainment gap by providing direct guidance to those in underserved communities.

Nationally, 25% of rural adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 37% of city and suburban adults. In Illinois, specific outreach locations like Monmouth feature graduating high school classes as small as 100 students.

The players

Rural Area Student Initiative

This is a registered student organization at the University of Illinois that focuses on supporting rural students during their transition to college.

Sawyer Fletcher

He is a student at the University of Illinois who participated in the organization's liaison program by visiting his former high school.

The details

The organization's research team compiles town-specific scholarship data for presentations while the liaison program sends students back to their roots to mentor peers. These peer-led efforts provide students in towns like Monmouth and Coulterville with tangible resources that might otherwise remain inaccessible.

In December 2025, Sawyer Fletcher visited his former high school in Monmouth.
The Rural Area Student Initiative hosts member events every other Thursday.

Culture Shift

This program reflects a broader movement to address the national educational attainment gap between rural and urban populations. By leveraging peer mentorship, the initiative challenges the trend of rural student attrition from the higher education pipeline.

Students in rural Illinois districts may gain access to personalized scholarship information and college planning guidance through these school visits. These resources can help families navigate the financial and logistical complexities of the application process.

The takeaway

Peer-to-peer mentorship programs can serve as a vital link in overcoming the unique geographic and socioeconomic barriers that rural students face. Families should proactively check with their school administration to see if such outreach initiatives visit their local district.