There are countless books and online guides about picking the right college. But if we’re being honest, most of them are meant for high school graduates, and there’s limited information for adults looking to get into college. However, the reality is that almost half of the college applicants today are 25+, and many of them have kids, jobs, or other commitments to fit into their college schedule.
To get into college when you’re older, you’ll need to choose the right school, figure out your finances, determine the course duration, consider the home & school support systems, and sort out all the necessary papers in advance.
With such unique challenges to think about when getting into college as an adult, you’ll need more preparation than a younger learner. The rest of this article will discuss the above considerations in detail to help you plan for college as an adult learner, so read on.
What Exactly Is Adult College Education?
For context purposes, let’s first define what we mean by adult education in this write-up. Adult college education refers to any form of tertiary education provided to mature people, typically those who are studying outside the traditional education cycle (you know, the one where you’re done with college by 25).
It can mean attending college for the very first time after age 25, learning a new technical skill, going back to college to finish your degree after a break, acquiring an advanced degree, refreshing your knowledge about your profession, or simply enrolling to gain competency in a completely new field for a career change.
Adult education is also referred to as continuing education, “second chance education,” or recurrent education. In more formal settings, the term non-traditional education may also be thrown around. Regardless of the name, it simply means going back to school after 25, whether formally or informally.
How to Get Into College When You’re Older
Now that we’ve established the meaning of adult education, let’s take a look at the most important things you need to sort out before you get into college as an adult learner.
Choose the Right School
Choosing the right college is always a daunting task, regardless of age. But as an adult going to college, it’s an even harder choice because your needs are very different from those of a younger learner; and that means more considerations to be made.
To help you out, here are some of the most important factors you need to consider when picking a college.
Cost
Unless money isn’t an issue, cost should be the first thing you think of when choosing a college. As you search for a school to enroll, compare the costs associated with each available option. Find out how much tuition will cost and whether it has a flexible payment schedule.
Once you’ve figured out the tuition fees, find out if there are other hidden costs. Add them to the tuition fees, and compare the total costs for each potential choice. Lastly, check if any of the colleges you’re considering offers incentives for adult learners or financial aid such as grants and scholarship opportunities.
Course
Ideally, you should choose a school that’s accredited to offer the course you are interested in. That’s the bare minimum unless you don’t care about having a valid certificate.
And depending on why you’re enrolling, it can also be helpful to choose a school that’s known for excelling in your field of interest.
Think about it this way: both Harvard and MIT are great schools by global standards. But given a chance, would you rather go for advanced studies in civil engineering or any other engineering field at MIT or Harvard?
MIT, of course. Not because Harvard doesn’t have great engineering professors; MIT is just a better place to study advanced engineering. The reverse also goes for a field such as Law.
Point being?
If you’re going to college for advanced studies, especially in a technical field, you’ll be better off choosing a school that specializes (and is known for excelling) in that field.
Class Schedules
As you narrow down your list, consider the class schedule in each option and think about how it’ll affect your daily life. If you have other commitments such as a job, kids, or even both, you’ll want to choose a school that offers flexible class attendance.
Some colleges offer online classes, while others provide night or weekend ones. Find out if any of these are options in the schools you’re considering and keep that in mind when making a choice. This way, you’ll be able to keep up with the course without completely overhauling your day-to-day life.
Once you are good with the schedule, confirm if you’ll be able to access the library resources, computer services, and professional career guidance.
Duration
If you’ve worked or attended college earlier on in your life, look for a school that accepts credit transfers or may exempt you from some units based on any relevant experience you have under your belt.
It also helps to choose a college that offers accelerated courses.
The idea is to choose a college that’ll reduce the course duration by giving you a chance to apply skills you might have learned in your previous career or education.
Prepare Your Papers in Advance
By preparing early, you will avoid the last-minute rushes. So before you begin the application process, find out what the requirements are in terms of academic papers and get those sorted.
If you’ve ever been to school, put together your transcripts and other testimonials, and organize them before meeting the school representatives. This won’t just help with making a good first impression; it’ll also put you in a better position to negotiate for things like unit exemptions or credit transfer if applicable.
Also, if it’s been a while since you’ve been in a class, you’ll need to refresh your academic skills. These include analytical thinking, time management, written and oral communication, research, note-taking, and any other skill that’ll help you settle in faster and improve your overall learning experience.
Prepare Your Finances
Regardless of age, going to college means more financial burden. But as an adult, finances are an even bigger concern because school fees and other costs will likely come out of your pocket, which can be burdensome if you have other financial obligations.
If you’re employed, consider reaching out to your employer to help with the fees. Many organizations today offer bonded training as a means to upscale their employees’ skills. Basically, this is a type of formal contract where an employer agrees to pay for higher education in return for the employee promising to work for the organization for a specified period, among other conditions. Even though this might involve your lawyer, it can be of big help.
If this kind of support isn’t available, find out if your employer has any tuition subsidies arrangements with colleges you might be interested in. Some companies have these in place as an incentive to nudge their employees to pursue higher learning.
Lastly, if any of the colleges you’re considering provide any form of financial aid, now is the time to look into it. You can also check if you qualify for federal help through the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program or the Federal Pell Grant.
Determine How Long You Want to Stay in School
How long do you want the course to take? While the course duration is often predetermined for younger learners, adult students have a decision to make in this regard because their education comes with the challenge of striking a balance between school and other life commitments.
Ideally, you’ll want to be able to finish school in the shortest time possible without completely neglecting other important commitments in your life.
Depending on your situation, this may mean not committing 100% of your time to finish school or taking a break from some of the responsibilities you might have, so you have more time for school. Enrolling as a part-time learner is one option for the former, but this will mean taking longer to complete the course. For the latter, you can drop some of the responsibilities at work, so you have more time for school, but that’ll often mean taking a pay cut.
The bottom line? Weigh your need to finish school faster against other obligations in your life, and decide how long you’ll be in school based on that.
Consider the Home Support System
As an adult learner, having a strong home support system will contribute to your success in school. This can mean other family members taking up some of your responsibilities, such as taking care of the children while you attend classes or chipping in with some financial help.
Whichever kind of support you can get, it’ll help you rejuvenate and keep going as you go through the rigors of course work.
Consider the School Support System
Life in college as an adult can be challenging at times, and you may need a strong school support system to help you out. By the school support system, we mean a contact person with whom you can share your challenges.
This can be an expert counselor, a mentor, or simply good friends. Having school friends, in particular, can be very helpful. It’ll help you navigate the social scene with people you share interests with and provide you with educational support through things like study groups.
What Is the Right Time to Get Into College When You’re Older?
Honestly, there is nothing like “the right time” to go to college. You can make your future better anytime, anywhere.
If you think that you’re too old or have too many responsibilities to better your life through education, here’s a little encouragement for going to college at each stage of your life.
Going to College at 25
At 25, you likely won’t be worried about being too old to go to school, so age isn’t often a concern. Rather, the issue will be comparing yourself to some of your mates who might be done with school and earning. You might also feel like you’ll be out of place in a class of 18-year-olds.
Pretty normal and valid feelings: but they shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your dream.
For starters, it is highly unlikely that you will be sitting in a class full of youngsters. By 2019, over 7.4 million students who enrolled in college were above 25 years, while those below 25 years stood at 12.5 million! This means that adult education is almost as popular as traditional education, and you might not be the only senior citizen in your class.
Secondly, you’ll be more focused compared to the younger generation. With your experience, you’ll not be distracted by things like new-found freedom, and you can prioritize your classwork over entertainment. These are things that 18-year-olds are still grappling with.
Going to College in Your 30s
Enrolling in college in your 30s can feel like an impossible task because this is a time when adulthood really starts to catch up with you. You need to think about how it’ll affect your kids, spouse, job, or even all three. But regardless of what it might seem like, it’s not strange or impossible to go to college in your 30s.
In fact, there’s a bright side to it.
The 30s are a time when you’ll likely have some years of work experience under your belt. That means you can leverage any relevant experience you might have to cut down the course duration.
Going to College in Your 40s
Going to college in your 40s might seem like one of those “who does that?” ideas to many of your peers. Many will tell you that you’re too old, bring up the expenses, or point out the opportunity costs of such a decision.
But if you’re thinking about upgrading your education, you already want to do it deep down, so don’t let anyone’s opinion hold you back. You simply can’t put a price tag on your self worth and feelings of accomplishment. Also, it’s hard to keep ambition bottled up, and that feeling of wanting to attend college will stick with you until your 60s or even later.
So, whether you’re going back to finish a course you didn’t get a chance to complete earlier on in your life, or simply want to bump up your qualifications so you can land a better job, going back to college will be worth it as long as you don’t neglect your family or go bankrupt in the process. Plus, you’ll be setting a good example for your family, and they’ll be proud of not just your ambition, but also the part they’ll play in helping you realize your dream.
Going to College at 50+
While some people might raise their eyebrows at the idea of going back to school when you’re 50+, it can actually be the best time for an adult to pick up the books again.
At this age, your house will most probably be an empty nest because most (if not all) of your children will be all-grown and living on their own. This means you’ll have more time to focus on yourself and fewer responsibilities to think of when planning for college life.
So, if you’ve hit the 50-year mark and had succumbed to the idea that you’re too old to learn, there’s still hope.
Why Go to College When You’re Older?
People go to college as adults for varying reasons, but there are some usual motivations. Some of the most valid reasons to go to college as an adult include:
To Earn More
Money is a common motivation for many adults going back to college, particularly those who are working in very competitive fields and are eyeing a pay rise or promotion.
Additional training has long been used by companies as a criterion for promoting their staff into managerial or other leadership positions (which means better pay). So if you feel like your career has stagnated or aren’t satisfied with what you’re earning, picking up the books again may help.
To Undergo a Career Change
It’s not uncommon for a working individual to want a career change. It can be due to loss of interest in your field, a shift in the job market, or simply as a means to learn more about a field you’ve always been passionate about but couldn’t pursue for some reason.
Whatever your reasons may be, going back to school as an adult can help transition into a new career.
To Finish What You Started
Did you take a break from school due to one reason or the other? While data indicates an increase in college completion rates, six out of 10 college students don’t finish college within six years of enrolment. This has been attributed to several factors that include high tuition costs and family commitments.
Regardless of your reasons for dropping out, going back to school as an adult can be your opportunity to finally say, “I did it.”
You Can Afford It Now
Student loan debt is a problem for the vast majority of the population. As of 2019, the average student loan borrower owed the state approximately $28,650.
If you didn’t finish school due to the fear of adding a loan to your debt profile and are earning now, going back to college can be an opportunity to earn the degree you’ve always wanted without hurting your credit score.
Other than the debt issue, better financial status also means you can pursue the course your parents couldn’t afford when you were under 25.
To Refresh Your Skills
We live in a fast-paced world where new technology is always cropping up. Having attended college when things were simpler, you might find it challenging to keep up with the changes, whether at home or work.
In such cases, enrolling for a quick crash course can help refresh your skillset and unlock new opportunities.
Quick Recap
Ultimately, going back to school in old age comes with benefits that include career change, a pay rise or promotion, or simply satisfying your passion and ambition.
However, with other life commitments and financial constraints to think of, it can be a challenging journey. That’s why you need these to choose the right school, prepare your papers in advance, sort out your finances, determine the course duration, and consider the home and school support systems before you begin the application process.
Sources
- Britannica.com: Adult Education
- Thoughtco.com: What Is Adult Education
- Scholarships.com: Scholarships For Adult Students
- Wsj.com: Companies Help Employees Pay Tuition But Few Accept the Offer
- Nces.ed.gov: Back to School Statistics
- Fastweb.com: Scholarships
- npr.org: College Completion Rates Are Up But…
- forbes.com: Student Loan Debt Statistics
- studentaid.gov: Loan Simulator
- Nces.ed.gov: Projections of Education Statistics to 2026
- Accreditedschoolsonline.org: Going Back to College as an Older Adult
- Mycollegeguide.org: Going Back to School as an Adult Step-by-Step
- Theclassroom.com: What Do I Need to Get Into College Now That I’m 30?
- Marketwatch.com: Going back to college as an adult? Here’s what you need to know