New from ASN core partner Achieving the Dream, comes a guidebook designed for institutional leaders and student success teams who want to better support adult learners—students who return to college seeking new skills or credentials while managing work, family, and other responsibilities.
Part of the Knowing Our Students supplemental series, this resource explores the unique challenges faced by adult learners and shares strategies colleges can use to adapt their practices and better meet the needs of this growing student group. Grounded in a student-centered design process, the guide helps institutions adjust policies, services, and learning environments to support adult learners from enrollment to completion.
Read more about this guidebook from our partner Achieving The Dream.
What You’ll Find in This Guidebook:
Student Stories:
Firsthand perspectives from adult learners that show the role of persistence, support, and flexible programming in educational success.
Barriers Faced:
- Structural: Inflexible course options, limited digital access, outdated advising practices
- Policy: Challenges with financial aid eligibility, SAP requirements, recognition of prior learning
- Cultural: Lack of representation, feelings of isolation, and underappreciated lived experience
Strategies That Work:
Colleges can support adult learners by implementing flexible pathways, modernizing advising and financial aid processes, and designing inclusive classroom and campus cultures.
Case Studies:
- Finger Lakes Community College (NY): Offers HyFlex learning and micropathways to support adult learners in rural areas
- Cuyahoga Community College (OH): Provides flexible eight-week programs, wraparound services, and community-based partnerships to reengage adult students
Implementation Insights:
This guide highlights actionable steps colleges can take to support adult learners, including:
- Designing programs with flexible scheduling, hybrid formats, and shorter academic terms
- Recognizing prior learning and streamlining credit transfers
- Offering targeted advising, mental health, and financial aid support
- Building family-friendly campuses and employer partnerships
- Creating welcoming environments that foster connection and persistence
This guide builds on Knowing Our Students: Understanding and Designing for Success, the foundational resource from Achieving the Dream and the ASN, and is part of a supplemental series that focuses on student groups often navigating complex responsibilities—such as justice-impacted students and parenting students—and how institutions can better support their success.