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The study addresses perceived barriers and supports shaping re-enrollment and staying enrolled, highlighting motivations tied to personal goals and improved jobs. Key results show that most returning adults can complete when given sufficient time and support, with financial strain—especially accumulating student debt—remaining critical. Institutional practices, academic pathways, and scheduling flexibility emerge as influential, while needs vary for military, veterans, graduate seekers, and racially minoritized groups.",{"@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/perseveringto-completion-understanding-the-experiences-of-adults-who-successfully-returned-to-college/584755/",{"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/perseveringto-completion-understanding-the-experiences-of-adults-who-successfully-returned-to-college/584755.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Damian","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-04","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does the report focus on regarding adult learners?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It studies adults who stopped out, re-enrolled in college, and then either completed a postsecondary credential or were likely to do so.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What are the main reasons adults return to college according to respondents?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Respondents most often cited achieving a personal goal, finishing what they started, and getting a better job.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which institutional practices most help adult returners stay enrolled?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Students highlighted admissions assistance, acceptance of transfer credit, information about degree programs, rolling admissions, and course scheduling support such as online/hybrid options and convenient class times.","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},584755,1792062943,{"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":34,"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,"preview_page_count":4},137451208677,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","PERSEVERINGTO COMPLETION: Understanding the Experiences of Adults Who Successfully Returned to College  \nTAS HERA GALE, PH . D . WENDY ERIS MAN, PH . D . ALISA CUNNINGHAM  \nJanuary 2022  \nACKNOWLEDGMENTS  \nThis report, and the survey on which it was based, would not have been possible without considerable support from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). We appreciate the help of NSC staff, particularly Mikyung Ryu and Joshua Leake, in identifying the individuals surveyed and working with the participating postsecondary institutions. We also appreciate the participation of those colleges and universities in this project.  \nWe would like to offer special thanks to Lumina Foundation for its financial support for this project. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Lumina Foundation, its officers, or employees.  \nExecutive Summary  \nIn recent years, both policymakers and practitioners working to increase postsecondary attainment rates in the United States have shifted their focus from college access to college success. At the same time, they have recognized that the prevalence of 36 million adults with some college education but no postsecondary credential is an important consequence of the many challenges facing American college students.  \nAdults with some college but no credential face a range of barriers to both re-enrolling in college and completing a credential if they re-enroll. Those who have made several attempts to attend college may be burdened by student loans and other educational debt but cannot reap the social and economic benefits associated with earning a postsecondary credential. Given this reality, policymakers and postsecondary institutions must identify effective ways to support these individuals if and when they do try to return to college. This study offers a unique opportunity to better understand the experiences of adults who stopped out of college, re-enrolled, and either successfully completed a credential or seemed likely to do so. Based on a new survey of these successful returning students, the  \nstudy investigates the challenges and supports they view as important to their ability to remain enrolled and attain a postsecondary credential, with the goal of identifying factors that facilitated their success.  \nKEY FINDINGS  \nAs detailed in the report that follows, key findings include:  \n● Most returning adult students can persevere to completion, if given sufficient time and support. Nearly three-quarters of the returning adults surveyed had completed a postsecondary credential, and most who hadn’t still planned to do so.  \n● Completers usually meet or exceed the goals they set. Completers tended to earn a credential that was at least at the level they sought when they re-enrolled and often  \nhigher. Many survey respondents completed multiple credentials.  \n● Adult returners re-enroll for both personal and job-related reasons. Students most often cited achieving a personal goal, finishing what they started, and getting a better job as their motivations.  \n● Financial issues are crucial to returners. Most adults who re-enrolled indicated that they had received some form of financial support, but they still faced significant financial challenges, particularly the accumulation of student debt.  \n● Postsecondary institutions can make a difference to adult re-enrollment. Students viewed institutional supports as very helpful to re-enrolling, particularly assistance from admissions staff, acceptance of transfer credit, information about degree programs, and a rolling admissions process.  \n 3   \n● Institutional practices that meet the unique scheduling needs of adult returners contribute to their success. Students identified logistical factors—particularly those related to balancing school with other responsibilities—as among the most important factors that helped them complete a credential. Key supports related to the timing and delive","cbCaiuLWPWbuxECt","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiuLWPWbuxECt","pdf",1667827,54,"English","# Executive Summary\n# Key Findings\n## Persistence to completion\n## Goals and credential attainment\n## Reasons for adult re-enrollment\n## Financial issues and student debt\n## Institutional supports and admissions processes\n## Scheduling needs and course delivery\n## Academic pathways and prior learning\n## Personal support and motivation\n## Distinct supports for specific adult populations\n# Implications for Policy and Practice","[{\"question\":\"What does the report focus on regarding adult learners?\",\"answer\":\"It studies adults who stopped out, re-enrolled in college, and then either completed a postsecondary credential or were likely to do so.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the main reasons adults return to college according to respondents?\",\"answer\":\"Respondents most often cited achieving a personal goal, finishing what they started, and getting a better job.\"},{\"question\":\"Which institutional practices most help adult returners stay enrolled?\",\"answer\":\"Students highlighted admissions assistance, acceptance of transfer credit, information about degree programs, rolling admissions, and course scheduling support such as online/hybrid options and convenient class times.\"}]","PERSEVERINGTO COMPLETION: Understanding the Experiences of Adults Who Successfully Returned to College | PDF",1792052238,136]