Community colleges are public educational institutions that are designed to meet students\u27 educational and career goals in an affordable and accessible manner. While community colleges have expanded access to higher education opportunities, serving more than 5.1 million students in 2019, the number of students who complete their educational goal is remarkably low. Numerous studies have been undertaken to determine factors that contribute to student attrition in community colleges. These studies indicate that rural community colleges serve primarily low-income students who demonstrate lower academic high school achievement levels and have lower parental expectations to complete a college degree than their urban and suburban peers. In addition, community colleges often serve rural populations that are challenged by transportation, family, and financial needs. This dissertation examined emergency financial assistance as a strategy to increase student retention rates in the rural community college setting. The goal of this study was to provide evidence to assist community colleges in their efforts to raise retention rates and subsequently increase the number of students graduating with a two-year associate\u27s degree
