The link between women in poverty and higher education is important because it reflects inequities in access and resources that exist in the Mid-Atlantic Appalachian region. Two main questions guided the research of women in poverty in regard to postsecondary access and attainment. First, what are the experiences of Mid-Atlantic Appalachian-born women as students in postsecondary institutions? Second, how do the experiences of Mid-Atlantic Appalachian women help provide a better understanding pertaining to college/university practices that would enable these women to engage in institutions of higher learning and become successful? In order to understand the experiences of economically poor women's higher education opportunities, a qualitative approach was implemented. After performing semi-structured interviews, themes captured the landscape of oppression, human capital levels, and identity formation for Mid-Atlantic Appalachian women in order to examine how they were able to be successful with degree attainment. Main themes were found regarding the Appalachian culture for women, identity development of the participants, and elements of access and success during their college experience. Implications that were found as a result of this study included (a) the student culture impact on services at colleges/universities, (b) the importance of colleges to provide an ethic of care, (c) the need for better post-secondary outreach and resources for Appalachian communities and (d) exposure of the oppressive social structures that still exist for this population of women. Recommendations were made regarding higher education practices and future research in the areas of poverty and the generational cycles of women in Appalachia. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]