What was once a challenge for small, rural liberal arts colleges may now be a straight-up virtue — one magnified by their ability to respond quickly and imaginatively to any circumstance.

The cuts “take away from us, our education.” Across the country, rural students like Jones are feeling shortchanged and frustrated. Many of the comparatively few universities that serve rural students ...

If they grow up rural, they want to go somewhere rural.” By “keeping with what’s familiar,” students are able to enter college more comfortably, Woodworth says. U.S. News asks colleges to ...