Helping NYC's Low-Income Adult Learners Succeed at CUNY
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| Title: | Helping NYC's Low-Income Adult Learners Succeed at CUNY |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Melissa Lent, Center for an Urban Future (CUF) |
| Source: | Center for an Urban Future. 2024. |
| Availability: | Center for an Urban Future. 120 Wall Street 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005. Tel: 212-479-3341; Fax: 212-344-6457; Web site: http://www.nycfuture.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 33 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Adult Education Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Adult Education, Adult Learning, Family School Relationship, Paying for College, Flexible Scheduling, Education Work Relationship, Low Income Students, School Schedules, Working Hours, Ancillary School Services, Child Care Centers, Online Courses, Evening Programs |
| Geographic Terms: | New York (New York) |
| Abstract: | Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of all degree-seeking undergraduate students at the City University of New York (CUNY) are adult learners--students over the age of 25. These students are juggling an outsized share of family and work responsibilities compared to the traditional 18-year-old freshman. They are much more likely to be among the 31 percent of all working CUNY students who have full-time jobs, and among the 13 percent of all students who are financially supporting children--including one in six community college students. And adult learners at CUNY are more likely to be Black and/or women than are students under 25. Helping more adult learners succeed at CUNY will require addressing a handful of unique barriers these older students face. First, few CUNY colleges currently offer enough flexible online, night, and weekend scheduling options to meet the needs of working students. Likewise, while on-campus childcare provides a key support for many adult learners, less than half of the current centers are open after 6 p.m., limiting access for many student-parents who are also working jobs during the day, and most are at capacity, with waiting lists of up to 30 student-parents each. Many adult learners struggle to access financial aid, because they used up the limited dollars they were eligible for during a previous period of enrollment, while others are working just enough to exceed income caps of as little as $30,000 per year for single, working adults. This report highlights on CUNY's adult learners, and analyses what is needed to support them attaining a college degree. The study was informed by extensive data analysis and interviews with more than 60 CUNY officials and staff, leaders of nonprofits focused on college and career success, adult learner and higher education experts, and current and former adult learners in CUNY's degree-granting programs. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED665164 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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