Colleges Eye Adults Who Didn’t Finish Degrees as Enrollments Fall

Higher education officials say the millions of adults who never finished college form an untapped market.

A student sits in a lecture hall while class is being dismissed at the University of Texas at Austin on Feb. 22, 2024. Brandon Bell/Getty Image

With a decline in college enrollment nationwide, higher education institutions are increasingly targeting another demographic—the tens of millions of adults who didn’t complete their college studies.

Higher education leaders say incentives are in place across the country to get these past students back in the classroom—whether full time or part time, online or in person—as the 2024–2025 academic year gets underway.