5 Ideas for Making Your Return to College a Success

There are 37 million Americans who started college but dropped out before they earned a degree. Since a college degree is still important to increasing earning potential and job security some of these people may be considering filling out an application for college and going back to school.

For those adults going back to school, it’s a big step forward. But, it’s not without challenges. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that only 28 percent of adult students (those who are 25 years or older) complete college. So what’s holding these people back from reaching their goal?

There are a lot of factors and everyone is different. A Pew Research Center study found among those surveyed who did not have a four-year college degree and who were not currently enrolled in college, two-thirds attributed the lack of a degree to needing to support their family instead. Other research from organizations like Apollo Research Institute uncovered reasons such as anxiety about not spending time with friends/loved ones, worrying about intellectual ability to complete coursework, and experiencing stress because class interferes with normal routine, as challenges people face in earning a degree.

The top reason college students drop out however continues to be financial. Paying for college is a big undertaking and can seem almost impossible, especially if someone has other financial obligations. Yet, investing in a college degree can still be a great driving force when it comes to getting and retaining employment. According to the Hamilton Project, over a lifetime of work, a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree would earn over