Research highlighted by an Inside Higher Ed podcast warns that cuts to TRIO—federal access programs—would sharply harm rural students’ ability to reach and succeed in college. In interviews, Bates College professor Mara Tieken said many rural high schools operate on “shoestring budgets,” leaving little room to absorb losses if TRIO funding disappears. The episode also raised concerns about how changes to federal student-loan repayment could disproportionately affect rural borrowers, who often take out more loans than peers in urban and suburban areas. Tieken emphasized that institutions should identify students’ rural background in admissions and support tracking, rather than relying on superficial proxies. The development frames rural access as a data and funding problem: without sustained federal support and better institutional monitoring, college completion and post-enrollment stability could deteriorate.