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ERIC Number: ED613313
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-May
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Get Ready: Introducing the Millions of Adults Planning to Enroll in College
Online Submission
California faces a shortfall of over two million degrees and certificates to meet employers' needs and promote economic mobility for its residents, but an impending wave of prospective students may satisfy this demand. This report describes the 5.1 million California adults ages 25 and older, representing nearly a fifth of the adult population, who plan to enroll in higher education in the next two years. The findings are based on a new and unique dataset that uses machine learning to combine survey results with a consumer database to catalog adults' interest in higher education. Interest in pursuing higher education is relatively higher among women, Latinx (Hispanic) Californians, adults ages 25-34, and those with household incomes of $35,000-$74,999. With a few exceptions, there are only minor differences in which type of institutions prospective students are interested in attending. Fifteen percent of California adults (3.9 million) intend to enroll in higher education and are interested in exclusively online instruction, an important fact given the limited capacity at the state's public universities. Men and Californians ages 55 and older are proportionally less interested in online instruction than other groups. The report concludes with policy recommendations for employers, postsecondary institutions, and policymakers. It encourages employers to offer employee tuition remission, build and maintain relationships with local postsecondary institutions, and offer meaningful work-based learning opportunities. It recommends institutional policies for adult learners, such as awarding credit for prior learning, offering programs with shorter terms and more frequent start dates, and improving online instruction and online provision of other services. It urges policymakers to continue efforts toward creating a comprehensive longitudinal data system, to reestablish a higher education coordinating entity, and to further expand the reach of broadband internet access. [This report was produced by California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy (California Competes). Additional funding for this research was provided by the VMware Foundation.]
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; College Futures Foundation
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A