Despite a growing demand for post-secondary education in communities across the U.S., millions of residents currently live in what researchers call “higher education deserts,” areas where students have limited or no access to a public, broad-access four-year university.

We welcome University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Nicholas Hillman, one of a small number of researchers currently studying higher education deserts and their impacts on local students and families.

Hillman joins CPRE research specialist Robert Nathenson to discuss his research and offer some tips to those hoping to understand and address this unique problem.

Featured research: Hillman, Nicholas, and Taylor Weichman. 2016. Education Deserts: The Continued Significance of “Place” in the Twenty-First Century. Viewpoints: Voices from the Field. Washington, DC: American Council on Education