Many nontraditional adult learners balance college with jobs, childcare and other family responsibilities. Yet despite facing some of the greatest financial barriers to completing a credential, they are largely excluded from states’ free community college programs, according to a new report from the Milken Institute.
Adult learners make up nearly one-third of community college enrollment, but of the 33 states with free community college programs, nearly all limit eligibility to recent high school graduates. Only Tennessee and Michigan provide comparable tuition support to adults age 25 and older, the report found.
Researchers estimate that expanding tuition support through a national “Second Chance” program—which would cover remaining tuition costs for adults pursuing certificates or associate degrees at public community colleges after existing grants and scholarships are applied—could raise retention rates from the current 39.6 percent to 55.4 percent over the program’s first decade.
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The Medical School Boom
