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    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​PA EmpowerU

    ​​Adult Students

    Almost one third of all students enrolled in postsecondary institutions are 25 or older1. That means students are often working, parenting, or even taking care of parents or other loved ones. It's important to recognize and remember that a college system designed for an 18-year-old living with their parents may not be the college system that will ensure success for every learner. The most recent data show that about half of all college students earn a degree or certificate within six years of enrolling, while only a third of student-parents complete school, with the rate even lower for single parents, according to Higher Education Today2.

    Adult Student Needs for Institutional Leaders

    Get Help on Your Campus

    Check with your institution through advising, counseling, or even admissions departments to see what help they can provide to non-traditional aged students.

    Resources

    Student-Parent Action through Research Knowledge (SPARK) SPARK is a values-driven, collaborative network empowering student parents and advocates to use research, lived experience, and policy tools to advance education and family success.

    Fostering Independence Tuition Waiver Program The Fostering Independence Tuition Waiver Program seeks to remove barriers in accessing postsecondary education for youth who are or have been in foster care.

    School House Connection Scholarship Program School House Connection provides financial assistance, intensive case management, peer support, and leadership opportunities for students who have experienced homelessness to help get students to and through college.

    High School Equivalency and Adult Education

    Earning High School Equivalency – Adults wishing to earn their high school equivalency can learn more and register for exams at The GED Test or The ​HiSET.​​

    Adult Basic and Family Literacy Education – The Pennsylvania Division of Adult Education administers programs that provide services to help adults fully participate in their child’s schooling, provide basic skill for employment, or to obtain a high school equivalency credential.

    Adult College Guides

    How To Go Back To College – Graduate Philadelphia! advisors provide guidance on filling out and filing financial assistance forms, getting academic support, navigating work and family schedules, completing paperwork, improving study skills, and staying in school. 

    Parenting Students

    Pittsburgh Scholar House is an example of a two-generation model for parenting students. An affiliate of the Family Scholar House in Louisville, KY, this program – which will eventually have an on-site housing component – offers parenting students academic supports and financial resources to engage with postsecondary education, continue in their program of study, reengage with postsecondary education, or upskill to find different or better employment.

    ​1 Student Enrollment: How many students ages 25 and over enroll in postsecondary institutions in the fall? (US. Dept of Education, National Center for Education Statistics)
    2 Building Family-Friendly Campuses: Strategies to Promote College Success Among Student Parents