Unequal Geographies of College Success: Mapping the Scarcity of “Equity Engines” for Low-Income Students Across the U.S.
In a groundbreaking new study published in AERA Open, assistant professor Becca Spindel Bassett of the University of Arkansas brings to light a pressing and overlooked disparity in American higher education: the uneven distribution of four-year colleges and universities that excel in admitting and graduating low-income students at high rates. Dubbed “Equity Engines,” these institutions are rare, comprising fewer than six percent of public and private nonprofit four-year colleges nationwide. The findings reveal a troubling national geography of educational opportunity and underscore persistent systemic failures in serving economically disadvantaged students.
Bassett’s rigorous quantitative analysis employed institutional data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), complemented by youth poverty statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The timeframe spans from 2017-18 through 2021-22, capturing recent trends in enrollment and six-year graduation outcomes for Pell Grant recipients, a proxy for low-income status. This methodological synthesis provides a nuanced lens on where educational equity thrives—and where it is starkly absent.
To qualify as an Equity Engine, an institution must meet stringent benchmarks: enrolling at least 1,000 full-time undergraduates, having a Pell Grant eligibility share of at least 34 percent (the national median), and crucially, graduating at least 55 percent of these Pell recipients within six years. This graduation rate aligns with metrics that would effectively halve the national socioeconomic graduation gap, representing a meaningful stride toward educational parity.
The study uncovered only 91 Equity Engines out of 1,584 four-year institutions assessed, indicating a severe scarcity of universities that genuinely succeed in turning access into tangible academic achievement for low-income students. More alarmingly, 24 states lack a single Equity Engine, revealing that entire regions are bereft of universities that both enroll and support the graduation of disadvantaged students at a commendable scale and rate.
Geographically, the research highlights a pronounced concentration of low access to Equity Engines in the American South and parts of the Southwest. States such as Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, where youth poverty exceeds 16.7 percent for those aged 12 to 17, have no four-year colleges qualifying as Equity Engines. This spatial void represents a critical structural barrier, as most students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, tend to attend college close to home, constrained by financial and social factors.
Bassett’s findings emphasize the concept of “place-bound” disadvantage: low-income youth growing up in impoverished counties or states without proximate Equity Engines face diminished prospects of earning a bachelor’s degree. The lack of local options that both admit and graduate Pell Grant recipients presages a perpetuation of educational inequality and limits socioeconomic mobility in these communities.
Conversely, certain states stand out as beacons of relative success in this landscape of disparity. California, for instance, despite a youth poverty rate of 15.4 percent, boasts 21 Equity Engines, 14 of which belong to the California State University and University of California systems. These institutions enroll 43.5 percent of the state’s Pell Grant college students. Similarly, states like Florida, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, and Texas manage to combine high needs with more robust access to Equity Engines, often propelled by flagship public universities with deep commitments to low-income student success.
Yet, not all high-poverty states share this advantage. Louisiana exemplifies a contrasting scenario where 23.3 percent of youth live in poverty, but a mere 2.7 percent of Pell recipients attend an Equity Engine. This stark contrast underscores the heterogeneity within the national higher education ecosystem and raises urgent questions about the policies, funding priorities, and institutional strategies that drive these outcomes.
Bassett draws attention to the broader implications of these findings for federal and state policy. The spatial inequality in higher education success—especially in degree attainment among low-income students—constitutes a systemic failure demanding collective responsibility. She advocates for increased investment in what she terms “Emerging Equity Engines,” institutions that already enroll a substantial share of Pell students and fall within five percentage points of the 55 percent graduation threshold, suggesting that targeted support could catalyze their evolution into full-fledged Equity Engines.
The notion of Emerging Equity Engines offers a pragmatic pathway for addressing educational inequities by focusing on institutions already demonstrating commitment but needing resources and strategies to close achievement gaps. Foundation funding, state incentives, and policy reforms could prioritize these institutions, creating multiplier effects for low-income student success.
Bassett’s study also challenges the existing narrative that access alone suffices in addressing educational disparities. Instead, it highlights the critical importance of completion and institutional support structures that bridge enrollment to graduation for vulnerable students. Equity Engines not only open their doors widely but also provide the conditions that enable low-income students to persist and earn bachelor’s degrees at rates that significantly narrow socioeconomic gaps.
This research further compels educators, policymakers, and advocates to rethink how higher education opportunity is distributed across the U.S., asserting that geographic equity must be a central pillar of educational justice. The deep spatial divides in where quality equitable educational services are available reveal a landscape where millions of youth remain underserved simply because they are born in regions lacking institutional capacity or commitment.
In an era where higher education is increasingly tied to economic opportunity and social mobility, the scarcity and uneven distribution of Equity Engines represent a bottleneck in the nation’s pursuit of an equitable democratic society. Bassett’s definitive analysis sends a clarion call to address this urgent problem through systemic action and strategic investment.
Ultimately, the study underscores the need to learn from the “rockstar” institutions—those few colleges and universities that manage to deliver both high access and high success for low-income populations. Understanding their practices, resource models, and support mechanisms offers invaluable insights into scaling equitable outcomes on a national scale.
Subject of Research:
Unequal geographies of college success and the distribution of institutions “Equity Engines” that enroll and graduate low-income students at high rates in the U.S.
Article Title:
Where there is no equity engine: Unequal geographies of college success for low-income students
News Publication Date:
August 27, 2025
Web References:
References:
Bassett, B. S. (2025). Where there is no equity engine: Unequal geographies of college success for low-income students. AERA Open, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584251361048
Keywords:
Education research, higher education equity, college graduation, low-income students, Pell Grants, institutional success, geographic disparities, socioeconomic graduation gap, educational policy, Emerging Equity Engines
