Reengaging Adults With Some College but No Credential
Credit: Spencer Platt / Staff / Getty Images News / Getty Images- A new survey seeks to determine what motivates college dropouts to reenroll.
- The “some college, no credential” population has ballooned to almost 42 million people.
- Reengaging these students could help colleges cope with the imminent enrollment cliff.
- Cost and perceived value dissuade many students from returning to degree programs.
For colleges and universities concerned about the imminent demographic cliff, reenrolling students who left without earning a degree or other credential could be a panacea.
After all, there are almost 42 million of them.
The problem is, once students leave, their perception of a degree’s value plummets. But here’s the good news: Most of them believe they’re ready to return, says a new study.
The Challenge of Enrolling Former Students
Demographic experts tell us the enrollment cliff will materialize during the 2025-2026 academic year. Lower birth rates during the Great Recession, beginning in 2007, will translate into smaller college-age cohorts 18 years hence.
During the ensuing four years, colleges could lose upwards of 576,000 students.
Those are certainly troubling stats for an industry already under duress. Although enrollments have recently ticked up slightly, they’re nowhere near what they were at their peak in 2011.
As a result, on average, one college closes every week.
Enter the “some college, no credential” (SCNC) contingent, a group followed for some time by StraighterLine, an online education provider. In concert with UPCEA (formerly known as the University Professional and Continuing Education Association), StraighterLine conducted a survey in June involving almost 2,000 adults who fit this description.
The survey sought to determine what might motivate adults to resume their educational journeys and what barriers might stand in their way.
“As traditional student enrollment declines and institutions close their doors, more than 40 million adult learners are waiting to be reengaged,” Amy Smith, chief learning officer at StraighterLine, said in a statement.
“The time has come for higher education to rethink its strategy. Our research dives deep into the enrollment funnel from the student perspective and offers institutions a way to identify those students who are ready to complete their degree.”
Why did these students drop out in the first place? The StraighterLine study references a similar report from New America revealing that students cited the need to work (64%), financial difficulties (55%), and a loss of self-motivation or ambition (55%) as the main reasons why they left college.
Once students leave, notes the new survey, their perception of the value of a degree drops considerably. Before they left college, 84% of respondents believed they needed a degree to achieve their professional goals. Now, after dropping out, only 34% think so.
Only 42% consider higher education trustworthy.
For many, the value quotient isn’t strong enough. More than 60% said the high cost of a degree has prevented them from reenrolling, while 58% said their current financial situation prevents them from affording tuition. Almost three-quarters (72%) said affordability is a necessary factor for them to reenroll.
The further removed they are from their college years, the less motivated they are to return. Complicating factors such as a lack of time (43%) and family commitments (38%) interfere.
Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that 70% said they haven’t reached out to a college to inquire about completing a degree.
Positive Signs Toward Reengagement
With all that negative baggage, what are the chances adults might return to complete degrees and certificates?
For higher education, the news is actually encouraging. During the 2022-23 academic year, the reenrollment of some college, no credential students rose by 9.1%. More than half (52%) were pursuing associate degrees, while 28% sought a bachelor’s degree, and 13% were in an undergraduate certificate program.
The reasons motivating adults to return included improving their salary (53%), achieving a personal goal (44%), and changing careers (38%).
Beyond simply collecting opinions, the study offers a predictive analysis of factors determining the likelihood of reenrolling. Those include “mental resilience and routine readiness,” positive opinions about institutional trustworthiness and communication, and belief in the value of a degree.
And most adults do consider themselves intellectually ready for the challenge. Even though they’ve been away from the educational environment for some time, 88% said they’re proficient in essential academic skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics, while 86% claimed technological competency for research and related activities.
So many adults seem ready and eager to return to complete degrees and certificates, which of course bodes well for colleges. But institutions must do a better job of easing the transition, the study notes. Respondents cited a lack of support with financial aid, the inability to get questions answered quickly, and a general lack of communication from the university as hurdles.
Yet the biggest concerns are cost and value. The study suggests colleges must “reexamine their value equation” and offer more microcredentials, which tend to be cheaper and take less time to earn, in addition to degree programs tailored to industry needs and in-demand fields.
“This research reveals a serious relational disconnect between the SCNC population and higher education institutions,” Jim Fong, chief research officer at UPCEA, said in a statement.
“We really need to do a reset here regarding how we interface with this learner. They are not the same learners from a decade ago, yet the programs, marketing, and enrollment management processes are largely the same. There’s a lot that colleges and universities can do to better engage the learner, as well as create meaningful milestones on their journey toward a degree.”