Using human capital theory, this paper identifies the factors that may affect the opportunity for rural low-income mothers to pursue post-secondary education or training in order to escape poverty. Dependent variables used in the logistic regression model included micro-level household variables as well as the effects of state-wide welfare policies. Data for our sample of rural low-income mothers came from two waves of a USDA-funded multistate, longitudinal project. The variables that were statistically significant in determining rural mothers' post-secondary educational opportunities included the tuition and fees for a community/technical college, whether or not the participant's father had a post-secondary education, whether or not the participant was living with a partner, the presence of a pre-school aged child, and whether or not the participant lived in a state that had strict Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) work requirements.