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Using multilevel statistical analysis of Ohio administrative data, the research tests how dosage-weighted exposure to six campus-context characteristics affects the association between student age and graduation likelihood. Results show more parallels than differences across older versus younger groups, with only one contextual factor showing meaningful impact: heavier course credit loads among classmates increase graduation likelihood for students aged 40+. Implications guide how colleges can better serve adult learners through programmatic levers and peer-class mix opportunities.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/in-what-institutional-contexts-do-adult-community-college-students-prosper-research-article/599472/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/in-what-institutional-contexts-do-adult-community-college-students-prosper-research-article/599472.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"WPS_1790064749","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the study’s main objective?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"To identify which institutional context features are associated with higher graduation likelihood among adult community college students, and how these relationships differ from younger peers.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How did the researchers analyze the data?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"They used a multilevel statistical approach with Ohio’s community college administrative data, examining dosage-weighted exposure to six campus-context characteristics.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which institutional context factor showed the strongest meaningful effect?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Exposure to classmates taking heavier course credit loads was positively related to the likelihood of graduating for students aged 40 and older.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},599472,1792190798,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},3985747859154,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","In What Institutional Contexts Do Adult Community College Students Prosper?  \nCommunity College Review 2025, Vol. 53(1) 105–133 © The Author(s) 2024 Article reuse guidelines:  \n[sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/00915521241280067](DOI: 10.1177/00915521241280067)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/00915521241280067)[journals.sagepub.com/home/crw](journals.sagepub.com/home/crw)  \nPeter Riley Bahr 1, Yiran Chen 1, Claire A. Boeck 1, Paula Clasing-Manquian 1, and Phyllis Cummins2  \nAbstract  \nObjective: Policymakers in many states are endeavoring to increase graduation rates among older community college students. However, we know little about how the factors that influence college completion among older students differ from their younger peers. We aim to identify features of institutional contexts in which adult community college students are more likely to prosper, as evidenced by an elevated likelihood of graduating. Methods: Using a multilevel statistical approach to analyze administrative data for Ohio’s community colleges, we examine how associations between students’ age and their likelihood of graduating differ as a function of dosage-weighted exposure to six contextual characteristics that align with the organizational, human aggregate, and socially constructed dimensions of Strange and Banning’s (2015) socioecological framework for campus environments. Results: Contrary to expectations, we find more similarities than differences between older and younger students in how exposure to particular institutional characteristics is related to the likelihood of graduating. Only one of the six characteristics has a relationship of meaningful magnitude with the likelihood of graduating among students of any age. Specifically, exposure to classmates taking heavier course credit loads is positively related to the likelihood of graduating for students 40 years of age and older. Conclusion: Our findings point to two potential levers for strengthening outcomes of older students as community colleges seek to become adult-serving not just adult-enrolling. First, incentivize a full-time course load across the student population. Second, create opportunities for adult students, many of whom attend  \n1 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA 2Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA  \nCorresponding Author:  \nPeter Riley Bahr, Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, University of Michigan, 610 E. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259, USA.  \nEmail: [prbahr@umich.edu](prbahr@umich.edu)  \npart-time, to take classes with a range of classmates, including younger classmates and classmates who are attending full-time.  \nKeywords  \ncommunity college, context, environment, adult students, older students, completion, graduation, degree, certificate, transfer  \nAdult students ages 25 years and older are a sizeable segment of the student population, accounting for 25% of the undergraduates attending public institutions and 32% of individuals enrolled in public 2-year institutions in Fall 2019, enrollment shares that have remained largely consistent post-pandemic (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2021, 2022) . While adult students’ completion rates have increased across all types of postsecondary institutions in the United States, national data show that students who enter community colleges at age 25 or older are less likely to earn a credential than their peers who are 18 to 20 years of age (Causey et al., 2022) . This attainment gap in community colleges is concerning because community colleges are the institutions of choice for adults returning to college (Causey et al., 2023). In fact, 2-year institutions account for 55% of undergraduate enrollment in public institutions by students 25 years of age and older (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2021) .1  \nAlthough there are a number offactors ","cbCaiqTegrrQhhOi","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqTegrrQhhOi","pdf",1112231,29,"English","# Abstract\n## Objective\n## Methods\n## Results\n## Conclusion","[{\"question\":\"What is the study’s main objective?\",\"answer\":\"To identify which institutional context features are associated with higher graduation likelihood among adult community college students, and how these relationships differ from younger peers.\"},{\"question\":\"How did the researchers analyze the data?\",\"answer\":\"They used a multilevel statistical approach with Ohio’s community college administrative data, examining dosage-weighted exposure to six campus-context characteristics.\"},{\"question\":\"Which institutional context factor showed the strongest meaningful effect?\",\"answer\":\"Exposure to classmates taking heavier course credit loads was positively related to the likelihood of graduating for students aged 40 and older.\"}]","In What Institutional Contexts Do Adult Community College Students Prosper - Research Article | PDF",1792088831,73]