Section 75.227 - What procedures does the Secretary use if the Secretary decides to give special consideration to rural applicants?(a) If the Secretary determines that special consideration of rural applicants is appropriate, the Secretary may: provide competitive preference to applicants that meet one or more of the conditions in paragraph (b) of this section; or provide special consideration for rural applicants by establishing one competition for those applicants that meet one or more of the conditions in paragraph (b) of this section and a separate competition for applicants that meet the corresponding conditions in paragraph (c).(b) As used in this section, "rural applicant" means an applicant that meets one or more of the following conditions:(1) The applicant proposes to serve a local educational agency (LEA) that is eligible under the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program or the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program authorized under title V, part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.(2) The applicant proposes to serve a community that is served by one or more LEAs- (i) With a locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43; or(ii) With a locale code of 41, 42, or 43.(3) The applicant proposes a project in which a majority of the schools served- (i) Have a locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43; or(ii) Have a locale code of 41, 42, or 43.(4) The applicant is an institution of higher education with a rural campus setting, or the applicant proposes to serve a campus with a rural setting. Rural settings include one or more of the following: Town-Fringe, Town-Distant, Town-Remote, Rural Fringe, Rural-Distant, and Rural-Remote, as defined by the National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator search tool.(c) As used in this section, a "non-rural applicant" means an applicant that meets one or more of the following conditions-(1) The applicant does not propose to serve a local educational agency (LEA) that is eligible under the Small Rural School Achievement program or the Rural and Low-Income School program authorized under title V, part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.(2) The applicant does not propose to serve a community that is served by one or more LEAs-(i) With a locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43; or(ii) With a locale code of 41, 42, or 43.(3) The applicant proposes a project in which a majority of the schools served-(i) Have a locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43; or(ii) Have a locale code of 41, 42, or 43.(4) The applicant is not an institution of higher education with a rural campus setting, or the applicant proposes to serve a campus with a rural setting. Rural settings include one or more of the following: Town-Fringe, Town-Distant, Town-Remote, Rural Fringe, Rural-Distant, and Rural-Remote, as defined by the National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator search tool.