EDUCATION/GOP: “The Republican bid to overhaul higher education is likely to heat up competition in the fastest-growing segment of the college market: adults over the age of 24.
When Congress passed the Higher Education Act in 1965, about one in four students were adults. Today, nearly 40% of college students are 25 or older.
The bill proposed by Republicans earlier this month aims to better align academic programs with employer needs by encouraging schools to offer shorter, faster credentials and providing credit for prior experience, including skills people learn on the job.
Such a radical rethinking of higher education could accelerate an already intense fight for older students.
The push to enroll older students is a sign of the pressure colleges face as the pool of freshly minted high-school graduates plateaus following years of growth as generational demographics shift. Unlike recent high school grads, many adult students work full-time, have families and are looking for flexible courses with online components.”
-Melissa Korn and Douglas Belkin, “Higher Education Bill Could Heat Up Competition for Adult Students,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 18, 2017 07:00am