Sally_Rubenstone

When I worked on a college campus, eyes often rolled when the brass brought in consultants. These high-price “experts” commonly came up with the same conclusions that staff secretaries had already told the administrators countless times ... and for free.

Likewise, my eyes rolled a bit, too, when I read this Chronicle of Higher Education article this morning: 8 Strategies for Recruiting Adult Students to 4-Year Colleges - Admissions & Student Aid - The Chronicle of Higher Education

I thought that this consultant missed the four biggies. If I ran a college, here’s what I would do to attract more adult students to my campus:

1) Offer and advertise financial aid options, flexible payment plans, and low-interest loans that are geared to working adults who will probably be cutting back work hours to matriculate.

2) Provide and publicize on-campus child care and after-school transportation to this child care center from area elementary schools. Provide tuition reductions for adult parents who work a given number of hours at this center. Offer on-campus family housing at residential colleges.

3) Allow life-experience course credit beyond what is available through CLEP (The University of Massachustts’ University Without Walls is an example of how this can work. See About UMass Amherst UWW - Earning College Credit for Life & Work Experience. )

4) Provide and promote an on-campus center for adult students as well as other ways that non-traditional students can find each other and join forces to support each other, as needed.

What would YOU do to make a college or university more attractive to non-traditional applicants?

Topolover

Treat them like adults. Last college I checked out, Adams State College in Alamosa Colorado, I was treated like a kindergartner, mis-directed TWICE for ONE form, and by then time it was straitened out, I missed out on the campus tour. Man, that was awful, because I drove several hundred miles for that.

KTbird1

More evening and/or online classes are always good. I'm going to a CC right now, and a bunch of classes I need to take only have 1 time, and always during the day only. It would be nice to have a morning and evening option for all required classes.
A couple of the UC's I've looked at here in California have re-entry student assistance programs where they help guide you through the confusing process, as well as offer tutoring, social activities with other older students, etc. I thought that was really helpful.