Allison Reynolds wanted to overcome her past—not only for herself but for her two small children. She decided to enroll in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System’s Ready to Work program at the Gateway campus in Florence in the summer of 2021. She thrived there.
Reynolds earned an associate degree in massage therapy technology and is now employed at Florence’s St. Elizabeth Hospital. “I wanted a better life for myself and my children,” Reynolds said. “I wanted my children to know that we would be OK, and that I would always do everything I could to provide them with the life they deserve.”
KCTCS’s Ready to Work program, offered at campuses across the Commonwealth, is one of several programs the college system provides to help improve adult education levels and, subsequently, their lives.
More than 17,000 adult learners in the system earned either a certificate or associate’s degree in 2023. “Adults don’t see themselves as students working their way through college,” said Shauna King-Simms, executive director of transitional programs at KCTCS. “They have an adult life. They often have families; they often have mortgages and more often than not have jobs.”
To find out more about KCTCS’ Ready to Work program, go to kctcs.edu/education-training/initiatives/ready-to-work.
The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education reports that, by 2031, nearly two-thirds of all Kentucky jobs will require some postsecondary training. As a result, CPE has launched a multi-year initiative with a goal of seeing 60 percent of the population with a postsecondary education by 2030.
While KCTCS educates 60 percent of Kentucky’s adult student population, most of the Commonwealth’s colleges and universities also provide non-traditional learners pathways to success.
Bellarmine University
In the fall of 2023, 70 students enrolled at Bellarmine University were classified as non-traditional, meaning they were 25 years old or older and working toward degrees in integrated studies, nursing, elementary education and exercise science.
Dr. Martha Carlson Mazur, the director of Bellarmine’s community academic outreach, said many of the non-traditional students take advantage of the university’s Degree Completion Program, which works closely with each student. “We really think about who the student is and what’s best for the student and helping them to figure out what that looks like for them,” Mazur said. “We really strive to give students that have that situation where they’re coming in with some transfer credit, but don’t have an undergraduate degree yet, a fairly quick, efficient and streamlined way to get their degree.”
Learn more at bellarmine.edu/degree-completion.
Berea College
In 2020, 64 non-traditional students graduated from its Berea College. This past May, that number dropped to 17, mainly due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped the college from offering support services.
Berea College boasts a Nontraditional Student Program in which adult learners can take advantage of the Nontraditional Student Center, otherwise known as the The Clubhouse, and Ecovillage. The student center provides a kitchen, games, a greenhouse and study room.
It’s part of Berea’s Ecovillage, a sustainable living complex for non-traditional students that also provides residents with onsite childcare, a community car and gardening, among other amenities.
Learn more at berea.edu/centers/non-traditional-student-center/non-traditional-student-program.
Campbellsville University
More than 645 adult learners called themselves Tigers for the 2023-2024 academic year. CU spokesperson Alexandria Dalton said most of their majors included education, business, nursing, criminal justice, social work and theology. With a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, the students enjoyed personalized encouragement.
“I can recall several non-traditional students over the years who were asked to be commencement and pinning ceremony speakers from various programs,” Dalton said. “And many cited the outpouring of support, encouragement and prayer from our faculty and staff as major factors in helping them succeed throughout their academic journeys.”
Learn more at campbellsville.edu.
Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Kentucky University calls itself the “school of opportunity,” and that goes for all students, regardless of where they are in their career journey.
Robyn Moreland, the director of The Center for Student Parents, said more than 800 EKU students have identified on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as having dependents.
Her department also works with mothers receiving aid from the Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program, guiding them toward a better future. “It’s just been a wonderful program that kind of wraps around this population of women who are raising children alone, without an education,” Moreland said. “We also know statistically that the educational level that the mother has is generally what the children will acquire as well, so it’s really a two-generation approach.”
EKU’s Student Outreach and Transition Office also supports non-traditional students, including transfer students and those coming back to school to complete their degrees.
Learn more at eku.edu.
Kentucky State University
According to a 2022-2023 report from Kentucky State University’s Office of Institutional Research, 8 percent of KSU’s population is 25 years old and older. Cathi Smith, KSU’s director of Work Based Learning and Governmental Relations hopes to raise those numbers. “For one, our ‘stop out’ students are students who have attended the university previously who have intentions on coming back,” Smith said. “If they have a $1,500 or less outstanding bill with KSU, and they have at least a 2.0 grade point average, we will wipe that debt and allow them to come back and be enrolled into classes.”
KSU’s online education also has expanded.
“We have programs that are offered fully online that would be able to help [non-traditional students] with balancing work, school and family life, so that they don’t have to actually come and sit in a class,” Smith said.
KSU offers a tuition discount to all state government employees and corrections and law-enforcement officers.
The university offers a Credit for Life Experience program, where adult learners can be awarded credit for college-level learning gained through life experiences via work, travel, volunteering, military service, hobbies or private studies.
Learn more at kysu.edu/academics/adult-learning.
Morehead State University
Whether a student is a working adult needing to advance in a career, a military veteran or even a senior citizen, Jen Timmermann, the director of Morehead State University’s Transfer Services, said her office will support that person every step of the way. “We offer virtual tutoring and advising, disability services, student support services, a health clinic and mental health counseling, Eagle Essentials pantry and Veterans Resource Center,” Timmermann said. “Adult students are balancing so many things. So many of them are caring for aging parents. They’re caring for their own children. They have one to two jobs. They’re trying to manage home life with school life, and it’s a lot. So, we try to really support them, obviously in the classroom like we always have, but really also pay attention to what’s going on for them outside the classroom.”
Most of the non-traditional students graduate with degrees in business, allied health, education or social work. Among the older students at MSU is class of 2023 graduate Joe Wilson of Asher in Leslie County. “If anybody’s 70-plus and wants to get a college degree, I’ll praise them for that,” Wilson said. “I’d encourage them to go ahead and go back to college if they wanted to … Ain’t nothing wrong with getting a good education.”
Learn more at MoreheadState.edu.
Murray State University
Murray State University knows many former students didn’t complete their degree and want to come back, but life just got in the way. That’s where Murray’s new Racers Finish program comes in. The program targets former Murray students and offers personalized academic counseling as well as scholarships for eligible candidates.
Many take advantage of Murray’s Bachelor of Integrated Studies degree, which enables adult learners to tailor their academic pathway to a degree while earning credit for life and work experience.
Daniel Lavit, executive director of Murray’s Center for Adult and Regional Education, said about 200 Murray students are seeking a BIS degree, and the university hopes to see that number grow. “The idea of finishing a degree sits more heavily on an adult’s mind because, a lot of times, they want their children to see them finish with a degree,” Lavit said. “When an adult student crosses the stage at graduation, it’s not just proud parents watching. A lot of times, children are in the audience seeing their parents graduate.”
Learn more at murraystate.edu/academics/care.
Northern Kentucky University
Northern Kentucky University classifies an adult learner as a student who is 21 or older. In the 2022-2023 academic year, the Highland Heights institution registered more than 3,500 such students. NKU boasts a robust Adult & Transfer Center that provides not only academic support but also advocacy for those adult learners.
“The ATC is proud to have such a great network of collaborators on campus to ensure our adult and transfer learners are getting the support and care needed to be successful graduates of NKU,” said Sara Conwell, ATC’s assistant director. “Our Adult & Transfer Advisory Council, which is comprised of faculty, staff and administrators at NKU, meets monthly to discuss concerns/issues while working together to troubleshoot those issues.”
Learn more at nku.edu/atc.
University of Kentucky
This past 2023-2024 academic year, the University of Kentucky had 1,278 registered students ages 25-64. While UK’s support services are available to all its students, whether they’re studying online or in person, a few programs resonate with non-traditional students, particularly the Non-Traditional Student Organization, said Molly Reynolds, UK’s acting associate vice president for student excellence.
“They have a diverse set of experiences … and when you’re in a residence hall and you’re coming in at 18 to 22, or 23, it’s just different if you’re starting college,” Reynolds said. “[Non-traditional students] created that group to make sure that there would be a space for anyone who’s an independent, non-traditional student to be able to get together to talk about some of the needs they’re seeing in that population.”
Many non-traditional students take advantage of UK’s Integrated Success Coaching initiative that provides a complete one-on-one support system. “We see students across many different categories and life experiences go to coaching,” Reynolds said. “It’s truly goal setting, where you are in your life, that you can work with someone and set those goals, have that accountability and follow up.”
Learn more at uky.edu.
University of Louisville
Hannah White, the assistant director of Adult Services at the University of Louisville, said the university’s new Comeback Cards program targets former UofL students with a $4,000 or less balance. “You can almost think of it like a reverse scholarship,” White said. “We will invite them to come back with us and take classes, and at the end of every successful semester, we will reduce their balance.”
UofL also offers a Fresh Start program for its former students who may not have achieved their best grades and dropped out. “It essentially wipes clean what we would call bad grades, to where they basically just start fresh,” White said. “They might not have known what they wanted to do, or they might not have had the support—whether that be financial support or academic support, anything like that—and struggled in school. It helps them not have to carry the weight of what they took a long time ago. They get to just start over.”
White said they work with local businesses to help employees who want to move up or get a promotion but don’t have the necessary education level for their goals. “We can work with employees to get that credential or [to] even move on and get a master’s degree, or different certifications, to either move up or shift careers,” she said.
Learn more at Louisville.edu/admissions/apply/transfer.
Western Kentucky University
Roughly 2,800 students enrolled at Western Kentucky in the 2023-2024 academic year were considered non-traditional. Many of them returned to WKU because of a new university push to get former students to go back and finish their degree.
Christopher Jensen, WKU’s assistant vice president for student success, said the university partners with the National Institute for Higher Education Policy to re-engage former students, which so far has resulted in WKU awarding close to 400 degrees to former students in majors such as engineering, technology, health care and business.
Many returning students take advantage of WKU’s Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree, which Jensen said is “quite popular” with non-traditional students who prefer flexibility in their majors. “Most often, we hear some students say, ‘I just want the quickest path,’ ” he said.
Jensen said they also see people who have moved to the area and want to finish their degree but have attended classes elsewhere. “[We work] to try to get them a degree at WKU, so we just need to make sure they meet residency and have enough credit hours with us for us to be able to award that degree,” he said. “Our Transfer Center and our Adult Learner Services Office work hand in hand trying to assist those students to get re-registered.”
Learn more at wku.edu/adultservices.