Background: Despite historical efforts (Ellwood & Kane, 2000; Daun-Barnett, 2013; Perna, 2006; Kane, 1999), persisting inequities in higher education access underscore the need for innovative research approaches. Previous studies utilizing geospatial approaches often overlook critical dimensions like college readiness and financial aid while focusing on institutional locations (Sponsler & Hilman, 2016; Turley, 2009; Dache-Gerbino, 2018). This study expands the scope of the spatiality of higher education access to these aspects using innovative geospatial analysis, aligning with the conference theme of navigating future education research. It explores the interplay of academic resources, financial support, and spatial factors, particularly in metro Atlanta's diverse and segregated context. By doing so, it aims to shed new light on how these intertwined factors contribute to ongoing disparities in educational equity. Research Objective: This research seeks to understand the spatial distribution of academic readiness, financial support, and higher education institutions in Metro Atlanta, addressing three primary questions: (1) How are academic readiness, financial support, and local higher education institutions spatially distributed in metro Atlanta? (2) How, if at all, do these spatial patterns cluster in particular areas? (3) How is access to higher education academically, financially, and spatially segregated? By answering these questions, the study aims to expand the conceptualization of spatial access to higher education and analyze significant spatial clusters and patterns of educational access, providing insights into the systemic nature of these inequities. Setting: The study is set in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. As the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and Georgia's most densely populated, this region is characterized by its diversity and notable segregation (reardon et al, 2022). The area's considerable student population, comprising 308,036 high school students across 214 schools and over 250,000 postsecondary students annually in 57 colleges and universities, offers a rich context for examining educational disparities. Additionally, the state's focused policies on college readiness and substantial financial aid support make Georgia, particularly metro Atlanta, an ideal setting for this spatial analysis of higher education access. Setting: The study is set in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. As the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and Georgia's most densely populated, this region is characterized by its diversity and notable segregation (reardon et al, 2022). The area's considerable student population, comprising 308,036 high school students across 214 schools and over 250,000 postsecondary students annually in 57 colleges and universities, offers a rich context for examining educational disparities. Additionally, the state's focused policies on college readiness and substantial financial aid support make Georgia, particularly metro Atlanta, an ideal setting for this spatial analysis of higher education access. Population: The study focuses on 308,036 high school students in 214 schools across metro Atlanta, a diverse group in terms of socioeconomic, racial, and educational backgrounds. It also includes the broader demographic contexts of the region's college students and general population. The analysis examines these students' access to higher education, considering factors like academic readiness and financial aid availability. It emphasizes the impact of spatial distribution within the metropolitan area, exploring disparities arising from the intersection of these varied characteristics with the spatial dimensions of educational access. This comprehensive approach aims to reveal how institutional and societal structures affect educational opportunities. Intervention: While this study does not directly implement a specific intervention, it serves as a diagnostic tool, revealing prevailing inequities in higher education access within metro Atlanta. Using GIS and hot spot analysis, it identifies how access to higher education is spatially clustered, correlating with areas where specific racial and socioeconomic groups are concentrated. The findings of this study offer crucial insights into educational inequity, highlighting spatial patterns that could guide targeted interventions. Thus, the study itself acts as an indirect intervention by providing data-driven foundations for future initiatives aimed at increasing access for students from diverse backgrounds. Research Design: The study employs GIS and hot spot analysis within a critical geography framework, recognizing space as a socially constructed entity. This approach is designed to identify significant clusters of higher education access, considering the underlying social contexts for accurate interpretation. To mitigate potential biases, the study utilizes comprehensive pre-pandemic data, ensuring the validity of its findings. The interpretation of spatial data is enhanced by critical geography, which views space as a construct shaped by power dynamics and political-economic relationships. This theoretical grounding prevents oversimplified interpretations of spatial data, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of socio-spatial dynamics. Data and Analysis: This study aggregated pre-pandemic data (2018-2019) from the Georgia Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics, including academic readiness indicators, financial aid statistics, and geographic locations of educational institutions. The analysis employed GIS and hot spot analysis based on Getis and Ord's (1992) Gi* statistic. This method allows for examining spatial correlations between educational resources and demographic factors. Critical geography theory guided the interpretation of these spatial patterns. By analyzing these relationships, the study aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of how educational resources and demographic realities intersect to shape access to higher education. Findings: A preliminary analysis of descriptive mapping was conducted to explore the spatial distribution of higher education access in metro Atlanta. As shown in Appendix 1, the maps provide evidence of spatial patterns in the datasets. Lower scores of colleges and career ready performance index, fewer availabilities of AP courses, and fewer number of FAFSA applications completed tend to cluster in the center of metro Atlanta, and higher scores, more availabilities, and greater number of completions tend to cluster in the northern part of metro Atlanta. While these descriptive maps provide evidence of spatial patterns in the datasets and thus a rationale for approaching the datasets with geospatial approaches, it is difficult to determine the accurate spatial patterns with confidence. Extending from this preliminary analysis, hot spot analysis findings are expected to highlight clear spatial segregation in educational opportunities, suggesting that access to higher education in metro Atlanta is influenced significantly by geographical location and its associated socioeconomic and racial factors. Conclusions: The anticipated conclusion of this study is that higher education access in metro Atlanta is likely to exhibit significant spatial segregation influenced by racial and socioeconomic factors. This highlights the pivotal role of geography in educational equity, extending beyond mere institutional locations. Recognizing the study's focus on a single metropolitan area as a limitation, further research in varied settings is recommended for broader validation. The expected findings hold the potential for guiding policymakers and educators in creating targeted interventions to mitigate spatial inequities in higher education access, particularly benefiting underrepresented communities. This approach aligns with the conference theme, signaling a progressive direction for future education research.