Here Are The Best Colleges For Rural America

A new Washington Monthly analysis spotlights several of what it deems the “best colleges for rural America.”

The magazine ranked the University of West Alabama (UWA) as the top college in its new ranking. Four years after graduation, UWA students earn a median income of $64,122 — $26,561 more than they would be expected to earn if they had graduated from a typical college in the U.S., Washington Monthly’s report found. 

As of 2024, more than a quarter of UWA’s undergraduate students and more than three-quarters of its master’s students finished with an education credential in an area of the U.S. that is facing teacher shortages, according to the report. UWA students can select from more than 90 fields of study in business, education, liberal arts, natural sciences and mathematics, engineering and technology and nursing, the school’s website notes.

UWA’s College of Education supplies scholarships of up to $10,000 for students committed to teaching in public schools and it also has a Center for Reimagining Rural Education, which aims to be “a beacon of educational excellence tailored specifically for rural communities,” per the report.

The Center for Reimagining Rural Education’s goal is “to promote rural student achievement by ensuring equal access to high-quality instruction, supporting rural educators in their endeavors to improve rural school outcomes, and advocating for rural communities.“

“At a moment when most Americans are laser-focused on affordability and doubtful about the value of college, the Washington Monthly’s rankings are an important and timely resource,” Washington Monthly Editor in Chief Paul Glastri said in a statement.

Following UWA in the magazine’s overall ranking of the top colleges for rural America were Sul Ross State University, Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) and the University of the Cumberlands.

Some popular majors among Sul Ross State University students include: Criminal Justice/Safety Studies; Business/Commerce, General; Exercise Science and Kinesiology, according to U.S. News and World Report.

The University of the Cumberlands offers 40 different majors and minors including Art, Accounting and English Education.

Meanwhile, some of the top majors at GSW include: Business, Management, Marketing and Related Support Services, U.S. News and World Report reported.

Colleges need to be located in rural parts of the country and not have extremely selective admissions policies to be included on the ranking, Washington Monthly’s report denotes.

The magazine also notes that colleges included on this ranking “get extra credit if they grant large numbers of degrees in fields that are in high demand but low supply in rural areas—like teaching, nursing, engineering, agriculture, and natural resources management—and if their graduates stay in the state rather than taking their skills, and the tax dollars that paid for them, elsewhere.“

Piedmont University was ranked sixth in alumni incomes — with graduates earning $12,469 more than predicted on average, and number 11 overall among rural colleges, per the report.

Washington Monthly also ranks the Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T) in the 29th overall place on its list, noting that the school “excels at boosting the earnings of its graduates.” Missouri S&T students earn $93,514 on an annual basis four years after graduation, which is $11,714 more than projected, according to the analysis.

Missouri S&T, Sul Ross State University, University of the Cumberlands, Piedmont University and UWA each did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

“This national recognition reinforces what we have long known at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW): rural universities can have an extraordinary impact on the students and communities they serve,” GSW President Kerry J. Palmer, Ph.D., told the DCNF in a statement. “With half of our students being the first in their families to attend college, the education they receive at GSW has the power to change not only their lives, but the trajectory of their families for generations to come.”

“We are proud to provide an affordable, high-quality education that prepares students for successful careers while developing the talent needed to strengthen communities across Georgia. To be ranked No. 3 in the nation is an incredible honor and a testament to the work of our faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners,” Palmer added.

The report’s release comes after recent polling suggested that many voters think U.S. colleges are not doing an adequate job of preparing students to enter the workforce.

Surging college costs have been creating major affordability headaches for many Americans over the years. The average cost of college in the U.S. is $38,270 per student annually, which includes books, school supplies and other basic living expenses, according to the Education Data Initiative.