Selective colleges are stepping up targeted enrollment efforts for rural students, pairing outreach with summer-style campus visits and structured advising. Amherst College hosted a two-day visit for admitted students and their families, including students from rural areas where top private institutions often recruit less aggressively. The effort builds on STARS College Network, created to get rural students not just to apply but to enroll. The program is backed by $20 million from Byron Trott, a University of Chicago trustee and alumnus, motivated by the underrepresentation of rural students at his alma mater. The article notes a persistent pipeline challenge: while 90% of rural students graduate from high school, only a little more than half go straight to college, according to U.S. Department of Education data and National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reporting. The campus visits are framed as one part of a strategy to close that gap with more intentional support.