The Graduate! Network has issued a new report on the journey of a “Comebacker” student. The Network, a nationwide movement that targets adult learners and brings them back to college, brought together a panel of experts and three current and former students to discuss the obstacles faced by returning students and ways to create a more equitable education environment.
Eva Gamez
“Comebacker” students are usually Black, Latinx, or a person of color. Seventy-eight percent (78%) come from a household that earns less than $42,000 a year, and 64% identify as female. “Comebacker” students are typically in their early to late thirties who started their college career years ago but, for various reasons, stopped out of their educational journey.
The key to adult student success is support: financial, educational, environmental, and cultural, panelists noted during a virtual conversation held on Tuesday.
The estimated number of American adults who stop out of college could be as high as 36 million. Commonly, those adults are also paying off student debt. Getting those students who stopped out back into education not only benefits them but the society and economy at large by addressing the gender and race wealth gaps, said Dr. Aaron Thompson, president of the Kentucky Council on Post-Secondary Education.
“The most direct correlation to a healthy economy is a healthy workforce,” said Thompson. “We can’t get there without the ‘Comebackers’ as part of the return on the investment.”
The Graduate! Network also connects non-profits and corporations to institutions to create more funding and support for non-traditional students. Navigators, the Network’s term for an advisor, meet with “Comebacker” students and help them identify the right institution and field of study for their goals and needs. They also help students complete their applications and review transcripts, and help them manage past debt that may be owed to the institution they stopped out from. The report argues for ending institutional debt policies.
