NON-TRADITIONAL ADULT

These awards are given to adults who have been out of school and in the workforce for some years. Adult applicants must have been accepted to attend college or post-secondary vocational school for the first time or accepted to re-enter such school to complete a baccalaureate degree program or obtain a non-degreed professional credential from an approved institution.

Rationale

• Minority adults who return to college complete their course of study at a rate higher than new high school entrants.
  
• Minority adults who return to college are more likely to obtain job promotion and enhanced salary within their current place of employment, especially if the employer participated in sponsoring such higher education.
  
• Minority adults desiring to go or return to college are likely to be sharing the obligations associated with financing the education children who are in college, expecting to go to college or have recently graduated from college
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• Children of parents with a professional credential or college degree are more likely to obtain such themselves.
  
• The future requires "life-long learning." Adults will be expected to enter or re-enter higher education or trade schools to develop new professions or upgrade existing professions consistent with prevailing market forces.
  
• Minority adults without a higher education credential are statistically more limited in the amount of personal cash resources they can contribute to returning to college.

Criteria

• Adult students may be enrolled for less than full-time
• Adult students may have support from employers