Distance from a community college is a key factor for students when deciding what to do after high school — and can lead them to leave their hometowns to study or not get a degree at all, a recent study found.

Blacks, Hispanics, and low-income students are more likely to forgo college altogether when they are not close to a community college, which may have long-term effects on their results.

Living far from a community college, however, often forces white, Asian and high-income students to enroll in a four-year university instead, the study found.

The research studyreleased last month by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, looked at Texas students who graduated from a public high school between 2013 and 2017, tracked those enrolled in a Texas public college and monitored their progress toward earning a degree. The researchers looked at those living in community college “deserts,” or places where students’ public high schools were more than a 30-minute drive from the nearest community college.

Black and Hispanic students face unique barriers to attending and completing college. They are more likely to have maintenance responsibility which often leads to them staying at home. Those who sign up are often the first in their families to attend college.

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The availability of transportation also plays a large role when students plan for life after high school. The cost of gas and car payments can add to the financial burden of going to college — and can be enough to make high school students decide not to graduate or drop out, said Riley Acton, a researcher at Miami University in Ohio .

“We in this country provide transportation for kids up to grade 12. And then when it gets to the post-secondary level, students are generally on their own for transportation,” Acton said.

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred the expansion of online learning, which changed the face of higher education in Texas. The researchers said it is unclear to what extent distance learning can help improve access to higher education in community college deserts such as rural areas. Students can take distance learning classes to avoid long commutes, but they often struggle with limited access to reliable broadband and tools like a reliable laptop, Acton said.

The report’s findings also underscored the damage school closures can have on students’ college plans. That’s especially relevant in Texas after lawmakers overhauled the state’s funding system for community colleges last year to provide a lifeline to many small or rural schools struggling to stay open.

“Policymakers can and do change where college campuses are located, either by opening new campuses, merging campuses, etc.,” Acton said. “Our findings suggest that expanding community college options in historically underserved areas — (such as) lower-income areas, areas with large black and Hispanic populations — could be a really good and potentially cost-effective way to expand access to higher education in Texas. “

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