4 Types of Adult Learners and How to Reach Them

by Tracy Chapman, PhD, Chief Academic Officer at Collegis Education

Much of the adult learner population is focused on career advancement, on earning the next credential to support their career goals. However, ask anyone in higher education to picture an adult learner, and they are likely to describe an academic-focused learner pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree to advance in their field of study. At Collegis Education, we surveyed 1,000 adult learners interested in pursuing degrees and discovered distinct student personas and motivations.

A career-focused majority

Many schools are betting all their marketing time and dollars on these “traditional” adult students, and that is a misplaced effort. Our recent study found that 70% of the adult learner market is made up of highly career-focused individuals. Their approach to higher education is less academic and more transactional, and they seek programs tightly aligned with career goals.   

These career-focused adult learners represent a welcome opportunity for higher education as recent shifts in attitude about the value of an undergraduate degree look to be permanent. In The Impact of the New Adult Learner, UPCEA notes “Higher education can reinvent itself and grow, becoming the major player in workforce reskilling, as well as attracting a large segment of the 40 million+ adults in the U.S. who have college credit but lack a degree.”

Rethink your approach

Becoming an institution of choice for career-minded adults requires rethinking marketing, recruiting, and enrollment efforts, as well as programs and program delivery. Adult learners expect contemporary, relevant, and consumer-focused services and programs. They shop around to find programs that fit their professional needs and instructional models that support a work/life balance.

In other words, if you do not build it, they will not come.

Four types of adult learners

Reskilling, upskilling and lifelong learning are creating a big opportunity for higher education to become the go-to resource for career-minded adults. But not all adult learners are alike. Four types of adult learners emerged from our survey responses:

• Career Advancers
• Career Builders
• Discerning Academics
• Hesitant Learners

Get our white paper “Rethink Your Student Population” to discover their motivations, how to target your outreach and optimize programs to grow enrollment in this untapped population.

Download “Rethink Your Student Population” here

About Collegis Education

Collegis Education is higher ed’s innovation enabler, empowering schools with a better vision of how they fit into learners’ lives and what’s possible when they do. With more than 10 years’ experience as industry pioneers, we’ve proven how leveraging data and technology can transform everything from student experiences to business processes. As higher ed evolves, you’ll need a thought partner and tactical pro, not a pre-packaged product or platform. Our strategic services allow institutions  to leapfrog from wondering to doing, implement long-term growth plans and build in-house capacity to thrive in a complex market. Learn more at CollegisEducation.com.

About the Author

Dr. Tracy Chapman is Collegis Education’s Chief Academic Officer. Prior to joining Collegis, she was dean of the School for Professional Studies and associate provost for Distance Education at Saint Louis University (SLU). Chapman also directed the Center for Academic Innovation at Creighton, served as the assistant dean for the College of Professional Studies, and led an IT unit supporting technology-enhanced programs in pharmacy, occupational therapy and physical therapy. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska in internet-based education, her master’s degree in instructional technology from West Texas A&M University, a teaching certificate from Southwest Texas State University, and a bachelor’s in finance from the University of South Carolina.