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More colleges and universities are enrolling nontraditional learners—adults who have completed some college education but didn’t finish a credential or those who are re-enrolling to gain new skills or degrees to promote their career goals. In spring 2024, nearly 2.5 million students age 30 or older were enrolled in an undergraduate program, a 3.5 percent year-over-year increase, according to National Student Clearinghouse data.
A Jan. 22 webinar by Jobs for the Future and Achieving the Dream highlighted the perspectives of adult students enrolled in community colleges in three states to detail what could benefit their achievement and success.
Methodology
The Improving Economic Mobility for Adult Learners initiative is a collaboration between Jobs for the Future and Achieving the Dream to improve postsecondary outcomes for adult learners, particularly those from low-income backgrounds or historically underrepresented ethnic and racial groups in higher education. Three states—Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia—and nine public institutions are participating in the work.
Insights from the webinar are drawn from this initiative.
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A survey of 645 learners age 21 and older from nine community colleges revealed several demographic trends.
A focus group conversation with 57 students showcased additional trends in student enrollment and persistence:
A tangential survey of advisers by the two groups found:
“Advisers are often one of the first people that adult learners talk to about their career and program selection, so it’s critical that they have the tools to provide learners with guidance on their options,” McDonnell explained.
Webinar presenters recommended colleges better engage adult learners through strategic interventions including better advising and support processes, disaggregation of data, inventorying CPL policies, onboarding and training for staff and faculty to work with adult learners, and aligning academic programs with labor market needs.
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Each college in the initiative applied different strategies to meet adult learners’ needs and has effected change on its population.
Delta College in Michigan created a comprehensive webpage for community members to find information on credit for prior learning and established a guidebook as well as a student tool to assist in the advising process. The college also launched a digital marketing campaign to increase awareness of the offering. As a result, the college saw a 5 percent increase in CPL awarded for students in computer science programs.
Atlantic Cape Community College in New Jersey redesigned its onboarding process for post-traditional learners as well as simplified the re-admission process for stopped-out students. The college also implemented solutions to previous barriers, such as leveraging scholarship funds to reduce outstanding balances for learners.
How does your institution support the retention and completion of adult learners? Tell us more.
