There is no “typical” college student anymore. More and more 18-year-olds are bypassing college and entering the workforce immediately after high school. Meanwhile, more adult learners are enrolling in postsecondary education for the first time or resuming their studies after stopping out.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center's latest Stay Informed report, undergraduate enrollment is up 3% this fall. But freshman enrollment is down 5%. The data shows that enrollment growth is instead being driven by by increases in non-freshman students and dual enrolled high school students. Additionally, the number of students pursuing shorter-term credentials is continuing to grow rapidly, with enrollment in undergraduate certificate programs increasing by 7.3%.
In our latest white paper, we explore these trends — and why it’s imperative for higher education institutions to adapt now to better serve post-traditional learners. It’s clear that both young adults and working adults value affordability, flexibility, and relevancy when it comes to their education.
Key insights highlighted in the white paper include:
- Enrollment Crisis Beyond Demographics: Colleges are facing a significant decline in enrollment not just due to demographic shifts, such as the anticipated "enrollment cliff" in 2025, but also due to waning interest and confidence in postsecondary education, especially among working adults.
- Opportunity for Working Adults: There is a substantial market of working adults (45.7% without a degree) who need higher-paying, stable jobs, making them a prime audience for colleges. Traditional institutions are not well-designed to cater to these learners, but CBE offers the flexibility they need.
- Competency-Based Education (CBE) as a Solution: CBE focuses on measuring skills and competencies rather than time spent in a classroom, allowing students to advance as soon as they master the material. This model aligns better with workforce needs and provides a more personalized, flexible learning experience for adult learners.
- Workforce Alignment and Flexibility: CBE helps bridge the gap between education and career readiness. By aligning educational outcomes with job-relevant skills, it ensures that graduates are more equipped for the workforce. It also provides flexibility for working adults to pursue education while meeting their financial and family obligations.
- Institutional Adaptation Needed: To avoid the "demand cliff" and survive in a rapidly changing educational landscape, colleges must adopt CBE models and partner with employers. Although there is widespread agreement on the need for skill-based education, very few institutions have fully implemented CBE frameworks.
It comes as no surprise that competency-based education (CBE) programs are on the rise in the U.S. Core tenets of a CBE model include flexibility and immediate workforce alignment for learners, which are essential to meeting the needs of working adults. For institutions, shifting programs to a CBE model could enable them to access a new population of learners while combatting larger conversations about the value of a degree, all of which will help them avoid going over the demand cliff.
