Adult Learners in Utah. Issue Brief

Adult learners currently make up between 25% and 40% of all college-attending students, including military veterans, single mothers, and underemployed workers. Many of these students identify as African American or Latinx, and almost two-thirds (62.5%) attend college part-time. Historically, adult learners have been identified as any degree-seeking student enrolled in college aged 25 and older. This focus on degree-seeking students ignores a substantial percentage of community and technical colleges with large student populations of adult learners. The issue brief expands this definition to include both degree- and certificate-seeking students aged 25 and older. Prior research indicates that adults enroll or re-enroll in postsecondary education to improve their socioeconomic circumstances. Motivations reported by adult learners include seeking a career change, advancing in their current career, needing to update their skills, or experiencing a life transition.3 Adult learners face multiple competing demands when working to obtain higher education credentials, such as balancing work with course attendance. Additionally, adult students are often married or divorced, and many have children at home.