Posted November 30th, 2017
By Kris Powers
More than 40 percent of Americans enrolled in colleges are adult learners – students who are 25 years old or older - and many colleges and universities are just starting to consider their diverse needs. This growing demographic tends to be ambitious, capable, and eager to learn.
Ruffalo Noel Levits and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) conducted a survey of adult students from the 2015-16 academic year that found adult learners have different needs than “traditional-aged” students. Some of those needs include:
- Availability of program wanted 93%
- Convenient time and place for classes 92%
- Flexible pacing for completing a program 88%
- Time required to complete program 88%
- Availability of financial assistance 86%
- Ability to transfer credits 85%
- Requirement for current or future job 85%
- Cost 84%
- Reputation of institution 83%
- Availability of online courses 80%
“I would argue that adult learners are the single most under-served group in higher education, both by their sheer numbers and their importance to the economy in this country,” Paul Glastris, the editor in chief of Washington Monthly, says in a phone interview with The Christian Science Monitor.
“You have this highly motivated, highly capable population that could be bringing in more income for their families, rising in their careers and adding value to the economy,” Glastris says. “But only if we can figure out better ways to make higher education more affordable for them.”
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