Polarized Access to Higher Education: A Geospatial Analysis in Metro Atlanta

Despite longstanding efforts to reduce inequities in higher education, gaps in access persist and, in some cases, have widened. While prior research has examined financial, demographic, and academic factors shaping access, it has paid less attention to how these resources are spatially organized. Existing work has focused largely on the proximity and location of colleges, overlooking how academic, informational, and financial resources at the secondary level are distributed across space. This study addresses that gap by examining access to higher education in Metro Atlanta using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and hot spot analysis. The analysis integrates data on college readiness, advanced course availability, counselor access, financial aid, and dual enrollment participation and capacity. Findings reveal statistically significant clusters of both high and low access across indicators and show that these dimensions do not align uniformly across space. Access is therefore structured through multiple, and at times misaligned, spatial mechanisms rather than a single geography of advantage and disadvantage. These findings suggest that reducing inequities in higher education access requires coordinated, place-based strategies that address the spatial distribution and interaction of multiple educational resources.