Dr. Andrew Koricich

Influenced by his experiences growing up in a rural Pennsylvania town, Dr. Andrew Koricich’s research interests focus primarily on issues regarding the postsecondary pathways of rural populations, rural and rural-serving postsecondary institutions, and how community factors influence students’ choices and outcomes. 

He has recently written about the effects of rurality college attendance and choice patterns, the challenges facing rural regional universities, and other topics related to postsecondary education for rural residents. Dr. Koricich is also examining the effects of driving distance on student finances and outcomes. Across these research strands, he primarily employs large, quantitative data sets from governmental and proprietary sources.

His work has been published in journals such as Review of Higher Education and book chapters in series such as “Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research” and “New Directions for Higher Education.”

He frequently makes news media appearances and has been interviewed for stories in outlets such as NPR, The Atlantic, USA Today, The Hechinger Report, and German Public Radio. In addition to external consulting, he has been invited to speak to numerous organizations, including the American Association of State Colleges & Universities, National Scholarship Providers Association, the Oregon Community College Association, and The Pew Charitable Trusts/Senate Economic Mobility Caucus. 

Before joining the faculty at Appalachian, he taught at Texas Tech. Prior to working in academia, Dr. Koricich spent several years as a software development manager in Washington, D.C. 

Areas of Expertise

• Rural populations and postsecondary education
• Issues facing rural-serving postsecondary institutions
• Rural diversity
• College choices and outcomes of rural students
• How postsecondary institutions can foster rural economic development
• Transportation costs for rural students
• Institutional classification 
• Large-scale, quantitative data analysis