Image of students in classroom.

Forty-one million working-age Americans attended some college but have no credential to show for it, due to financial, administrative, or practical obstacles that stand in their way.

At Ithaka S+R, we’ve prioritized streamlining the path for and supporting adults on their way to a credential of value. Working across multiple states, we’ve seen significant positive outcomes for both adult learners and higher education institutions, with the promise of more to come.

Supporting adult learners across the US

We’re collaborating with higher education state and system offices across the country to address the barriers facing adult learners.

  • In Kentucky, a technical assistance project in collaboration with the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education worked to identify barriers to re-enrolling adult learners and assess intervention opportunities.
  • In North Carolina, we collaborated with the University of North Carolina system to assess the scope of unpaid balances and administrative holds and provide recommendations to re-enroll and re-engage a critically underserved student population.
  • In Pennsylvania, we facilitated a community of practice with the Pennsylvania Department of Education united a wide range of postsecondary education institutions across the state to set ambitious goals and share promising practices for institutions to re-enroll and support adult learners. Explore a playbook sharing key strategies and concrete next steps to engage and support adult learners from pre-enrollment through credential completion.
  • In New Jersey, we’re working with the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to assess current initiatives to support adult learners in the state, propose improvements and interventions, and build a community of practice invested in removing barriers to re-enrollment. Read a report and brief sharing findings from the project.
  • In Tennessee, we are collaborating with the Tennessee Board of Regents, Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and a number of community college practitioners from across the state to better understand the challenges adults with some college but no credential face and identify practical solutions for implementation in the coming academic year.

Ohio College Comeback Compact

In collaboration with the Ohio Department of Higher Education, Ithaka S+R launched The Ohio College Comeback Compact in 2022. This innovative program was designed to help thousands of college students in Northeast Ohio–those who left school without a degree and owed money to their former college–have a pathway back to settle the debt and continue their education. Through the program, stopped-out learners were able to re-enroll at one of eight participating colleges and get back on track to complete their degrees with up to $5,000 in institutional debt forgiveness.

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