Learners with some college but no credential are on the rise. What prevents them from returning or prompts them to return to college?
A survey of roughly 1,000 learners with some college credits but no credential found that many of these former students distrust higher ed and question the value of a degree.
The study, highlighted in a new white paper released Tuesday, was conducted by StraighterLine, an online course provider, and UPCEA, an online and professional education association. It explored what factors prevent these adult learners from continuing to pursue college and what can motivate them to re-enroll.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has found that there are about 36.8 million Americans under the age of 65 who have some college credits but no credential, a group that's continuing to grow and becoming a key focus of colleges struggling with enrollment.
The results showed that people's perceptions of the value of a degree fell steeply after they stopped out of college. Eighty-four percent of respondents believed they needed a degree to reach their career goals before going to college, but only 34 percent still believed that to be true. Only 42 percent of respondents agreed that colleges and universities are "trustworthy."
In a similar vein, the study found that among the most predictive factors for whether learners were ready to return to college were "a positive opinion on institutional trustworthiness and communication" and belief "in the value of a degree," in addition to mental resilience and their ability to adapt to new routines.
"This research reveals a serious relational disconnect between the [some college, no credential] population and higher education institutions," Jim Fong, chief research officer at UPCEA, said in a news release. "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."
StraighterLine and UPCEA found that many of the former students were deterred by financial barriers; 72 percent described the affordability of a program as a key factor in whether they'd re-enroll. And 58 percent of respondents reported that they currently wouldn't be able to afford college costs.
Some of this population also reported challenges when they did seek to re-enroll. The good news is that of the 42 students in the survey who applied to complete their credentials, 88 percent found the enrollment process efficient, and 84 percent felt like their institutions offered plenty of support. But 13 respondents felt like they had a lack of support with financial aid, 12 respondents reported questions weren't answered in a timely manner and nine respondents reported a lack of communication from institutions.
StraighterLine and UCPEA aren't the only ones interested in how to bring back students who stopped out, and their survey findings largely reaffirm what others have found, such as that finances are a key barrier for this group.
Another recent survey of 8,559 students found that the top reasons students stopped out were academic underperformance, family responsibilities and no longer being able to afford college.
The StraighterLine and UCPEA survey didn't find academic concerns to be a large factor, with 88 percent of respondents reporting they agreed or strongly agreed they were proficient in essential academic skills, like writing, math and critical thinking.
The study also sheds some light on what kinds of goals entice people to return to finish degrees.
For stopped-out students, 53 percent indicated a shot at a salary boost would motivate them to re-enroll, while 44 percent cited a chance to meet personal goals and 38 percent said a career change was their motivating factor.
The study also contains a "readiness index," a way for institutions to better measure whether a stopped-out student might be ready to enroll again. Researchers developed the index by assessing survey respondents' readiness to re-enroll and searching for interrelated variables, which ultimately included trust in higher education, time management skills, career motivations and personal support systems, among others. The study notably found that students who stopped out of certificate programs had a slightly higher average readiness score than those who stopped out of degree programs.
"We wanted to know which factors matter most and what could be the leading predictor of a student's success when returning to college," Amy Smith, chief learning officer at StraighterLine, said in the news release.
Smith also noted that this work is critical for colleges, as many face a demographic cliff, i.e., declining numbers of traditional-age students.
"As traditional student enrollment declines and institutions close their doors, more than 40 million adult learners are waiting to be re-engaged," she said in the release. "The time has come for higher education to rethink its strategy."