About STARS
The STARS College Network, which partners with top colleges to ensure that students from rural and small-town America have the information and support they need to enroll and graduate from the college or university of their choice, is doubling its membership to include 32 of the nation’s most prominent institutions.
In its inaugural year, the STARS College Network opened doors to higher education for more than a quarter-million students. The expansion this summer will add flagship state schools, historically Black colleges, Ivy League universities, and other selective institutions, spreading STARS’ reach to more regions across the nation.
First-Year Activities
Support
In support of the STARS expansion, the Trott Family Philanthropies, which catalyzed the creation of STARS with an initial $20 million gift in 2023, will be investing more than $150 million over 10 years in programs that prepare, recruit and support rural students. Adding the financial aid provided directly by the STARS institutions to students, expanding support from philanthropies and non-profits and new funding from governmental agencies, an estimated $7.4 billion will be spent in support of STARS’ mission over the next decade. This extraordinary growth follows a year in which STARS outreach connected with 1.6 million people, including students, families, educators, administrators, foundations, legislators, companies and other organizations. STARS institutions directly engaged with more than 700,000 students, and more than 288,000 students joined the STARS network.
Partnerships
STARS schools directly engage with the rootEd Alliance, a public-private partnership that helps rural students define and plan their futures, whether that means a college degree, work-based learning, or military service, with the goal of putting them on a path to career success and economic stability. By placing dedicated college and career advisors in 195 schools across Missouri, Texas and Idaho, rootEd has served 42,000 students to date, and collaborates with STARS to provide specialized support and training for rootEd advisors throughout the year. rootEd Alliance, launched in 2018, is made possible by a group of philanthropists convened by Trott Family Philanthropies.
STARS is expanding its efforts with Khan Academy and Schoolhouse.world to address math preparation gaps by providing students with free courses and tutoring. A new multi-year partnership with the College Board, which serves 7 million students each year, significantly expanding the scale and impact of STARS. As part of this partnership, College Board will provide $300,000 in funding for the AP Rural Fellows scholarship program, which provides funding for AP teacher professional learning and development, launch new resources to better equip rural and small town counselors and AP teachers to support college-going, feature STARS successful models and practices at College Board national conferences that reach over 10,000 educators annually; and pilot new ways to support and recognize rural and small town school, teacher, and student achievement.
Douglas Christiansen, vice provost for university enrollment affairs and dean of admissions and financial aid at Vanderbilt University and STARS co-chair
David Coleman, College Board CEO
Students from rural America often face unique obstacles to attending college. While students in small towns and rural communities graduate high school at roughly the same rate as students in metro areas, they are only half as likely to graduate from a selective college or university.
Why
Students from rural America often face unique obstacles to attending college. While students in small towns and rural communities graduate high school at roughly the same rate as students in metro areas, they are only half as likely to graduate from a selective college or university.
STARS simultaneously addresses a variety of obstacles that contribute to this disparity. Because of distance and cost, college admissions offices may bypass small towns and rural communities. Students in those areas are less likely to encounter college-related ads or attend events on campuses.
College counselors in rural high schools are often overburdened, if the school even has a counselor. The average national caseload for rural counselors is 310 students, with a high of 574 in rural Michigan. This means that students may have less access to educators and college access professionals who have broad experience and familiarity with the full spectrum of college opportunities.
Importantly, these students may not think they can afford college. Many do not have the networks and resources to help them understand the financial aid and other support available to them. Further, many rural students are ill prepared to embark on the college admissions process, including with respect to standardized testing critical to the admissions process.
By combining resources and committing to a plan to overcome those challenges, STARS member institutions help a wide variety of students at every step of their journey, whether they ultimately attend a STARS institution or not.
Ronné P. Turner, Vice Provost for Admissions and Financial Aid at Washington University in St. Louis.
Kasey Urquídez, vice president for enrollment management at the University of Arizona, first-generation college student