Are you worried about the impending “enrollment cliff” we’ve heard so much about? We hate to be the ones to tell you, but it has arrived. The good news, however, is that you can help prevent your institution from dangling at the edge or dropping off the cliff altogether by expanding your efforts with an alternative group that’s more than large enough to make up for the shortfall in traditional students.
Adult learners.
With only ~37% of U.S. adults aged 25 or older holding a bachelor’s degree, and more than 43 million people in the U.S. who started college but never earned a degree, there is a LOT of potential for recruitment.
But of course the motivations and challenges this group faces are significantly different than those of high school students ready to head directly off to college. In turn, that requires shifting your approach and messaging — emphasizing what adult learners are really seeking in your institution — in order to meet them where they are, catch their attention, and ultimately get them to enroll and successfully complete their program.
“Adult learners are the ultimate pragmatists. They’re balancing careers and families, and they simply don’t have time for fluff,” says Megan Brammer, Director of Client Strategy at Spark451. “From a marketing perspective, you have to lead with the ‘how.’ How you’ll value their military service, how your schedule fits their life, and how you’ll get them to the finish line faster. Success with this demographic is all about showing them the shortest, smartest distance between their experience and their goals.”
Meeting Adult Learners Where They Are
In order to fully engage this audience, you need to not only understand the unique barriers they face, but also provide solutions to overcome them.
Barrier: Scheduling
Solution: Flexibility
Often dealing with time constraints due to employment and family responsibilities, adult learners should be made aware of flexible options that are open to them. Outreach should highlight fully online programs, asynchronous courses, and night or weekend classes that can accommodate their needs.
Case Study
A major public research university in the mid-Atlantic partnered with us to highlight the many degree tracks and convenient on-campus and online options available to adult learners. Strategic optimizations drove standout performance, especially in lead generation. Over a 30-day period, conversions surged by 53% while cost per lead dropped by nearly 35%, demonstrating how a refined audience strategy and channel alignment can significantly improve both scale and efficiency when reaching adult learners.
Barrier: Costs
Solution: Accelerated Degrees & Life Experience Credits
Cost is frequently a major consideration for adult learners, especially when facing multi-year programs. To help alleviate this concern, focus on how you can get them to the finish line faster through accelerated degrees and/or life experience credits. Not only will these save adult students both time and money, but it demonstrates that your institution values the time and effort it took to complete prior courses, build a career, or complete military service.
Case Study
We developed a plan that enabled a prominent public university in the Northeast to connect with more adult learners who could take advantage of their online degree completion programs, bringing in nearly 300 conversions in just six weeks. In fact, their undergrad enrollment for summer 2026 is up 50% year over year!
Barrier: Time Commitment
Solution: Workforce Development Programs
For those who aren’t looking for a full degree but would still like to earn a credential, a workforce development program may be ideal. This educational path is typically much faster — think courses that can be completed in weeks or months — and less expensive, yet leads immediately to a new and rewarding career. Plus, they may be stackable toward a later degree, if desired.
Case Study
We partnered with a New York State community college to increase awareness among adult learners of their workforce development program and helped them double program enrollment in one year, expand their course offerings, and secure grants to provide free tuition to many students.
We'll Get You Started
If you’re interested in building on or promoting programs designed for adult learners, we would love to have a conversation about how the experts at Spark451 can help. We’ll partner with you to explore strategies and creative concepts that will attract potential adult learners to your school, and reach them wherever they are.