Report Underscores Critical Need to Promote Postsecondary Pathways for Adults
New data reveals about one-fifth of California’s adult population plans to go to college within the next two years, and our higher education system needs to start preparing now. Get Ready: Introducing the Millions of Adults Planning to Enroll in College explores who these adults are and describes how following through on their educational goals could help meet workforce demands.
California Competes Executive Director Dr. Su Jin Gatlin Jez said the analysis reveals that public colleges and universities must rapidly adapt to support these adults to and through the state’s postsecondary system.
“It is imperative that California institutions use this data to meet adult degree-seekers where they are; otherwise, they will neither enroll, nor persist with their education.”
— Dr. Su Jin Gatlin Jez
“What the COVID-19 pandemic taught us is that we can no longer proceed in a ‘business as usual’ manner,” she said, pointing to data revealing that almost 4 million of these adults are interested in completely online instruction, as one example. “It is imperative that California institutions use this data to meet adult degree-seekers where they are; otherwise, they will neither enroll, nor persist with their education.”
The report examines which adults intend to enroll, the types of institutions they are interested in, and whether they are interested in attending online.
Data across all ages, income levels, ethnic groups, regions, and genders is analyzed in the report. For example, one-third of Latinx adults, a substantially higher proportion than their white, Black, and Asian counterparts, as well as 60 percent of California adults with household incomes of $35,000–$49,999 stated intentions to enroll in higher education.
