Adult Students

When Adults Go Back to School
Unlike in the past, few people today move directly from high school to college. Tuition may be too expensive, and work the only option for graduating high schools students. But if they want to return to school later, how will the experience be? We work with colleges and higher education systems to improve the adult student experience.

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) helps working adults return to school by giving them more access to:

  • Adult-friendly Colleges
  • Recognition for Life and Work Experience
  • New Ways to Pay for Education

SUCCESS STORIES ABOUT ADULT STUDENTS

Read stories about programs CAEL has designed and implemented for adult students.

Efficient Attainment of Degrees and Credentials

CHALLENGE:
Low-wage, low-income workers, as well as nontraditional students and the disenfranchised need to acquire postsecondary credentials to advance in today’s economy

COLLABORATORS:
An advisory group of Prior Learning Assessment theorists and practitioners from a wide variety of institutions, including the American Council on Education, and the College Board

RESPONSE:
LearningCounts.org provides advising, assesses learning from life experience, determines whether it is college-level, and makes credit recommendations. It helps people attain a degree or credential faster and saves money on tuition.

SUPPORTED BY:
Lumina Foundation for Education, The Kresge Foundation, Joyce Foundation, and Walmart Foundation
 

More information

Collaborators

  • ACE CREDIT
    ACE CREDIT

    The American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) connects workplace learning with colleges and universities by helping adults gain access to academic credit for formal courses and examinations taken outside traditional degree programs.

  • College Board's College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
    College Board's College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

    For over 40 years, The College Board’s College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) has been the most widely trusted credit-by-examination program, accepted by 2,900 colleges and universities and administered in over 1700 test centers.

  • Virtual High School
    Virtual High School

    Virtual High School  is a non-profit collaboration of schools across the United States and has been a leader in online learning development in high schools since the mid-1990s.

Jill's story about earning college credit for what she already knew

Jill Powell talks about Prior Learning Assessment

Focus on Needs of Adult Learners

CHALLENGE:
State policymakers care now, perhaps more than ever before, about the educational attainment of their states’ working populations. They also care about the responsiveness of educational systems in their states to the needs of adult learners. But relatively few have the data they need to understand how their states are doing in developing and educating its citizens.

RESPONSE:
CAEL teamed with the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) to provide states with the information needed to assess state performance on adult learning and identify where to direct future strategies. The comprehensive report outlines the state of adult learning in the U.S. It also includes state-by-state comparisons across multiple areas, a two-page profile of adult learners in each state, and a policy guide for state education leaders and policy makers.

This project has been funded by a generous grant from Lumina Foundation for Education.

Click on the links below to see a two-page profile of adult learners in your state:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

More information

Collaborators

  • Lumina Foundation for Education
    Lumina Foundation for Education

    Lumina Foundation is a private, independent foundation established in Indianapolis in August 2000. Lumina is committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college. In fact, we are the nation’s largest foundation dedicated exclusively to increasing students’ access to and success in postsecondary education. Our misison is defined by Goal 2025–to increase the percentage of Americans who hold high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025.