As millions of students head back to campus this fall, colleges and universities are rightly focused on incoming freshmen, enrollment numbers, and retention rates. But there is another population that deserves attention: the more than 37 million Americans under age 65 who have some college credits but no degree. At a time when we need more skilled people in the workforce, these 37 million are one of the largest untapped talent pools for U.S. employers.

Many of these adults don’t fit the traditional student mold. They are parents, frontline workers, veterans, caregivers, and professionals already building careers. They have demonstrated their willingness to pursue higher education and were enrolled at some point, but life got in the way.

A recent brief from Pearson and the American Council on Education, Reengaging Stopped-Out Learners: Institutional Strategies for Return and Completion, highlights why learners “stop out” and what motivates them to return. Financial pressures, competing responsibilities, and concerns about readiness often interrupt educational journeys. Yet career advancement, personal fulfillment, and family aspirations remain powerful drivers for reengagement.

The challenge for higher education is clear: If we want these learners back, we cannot expect them to return to the same systems that did not accommodate their realities in the first place.

For decades, much of higher education has been designed around the needs of full-time, campus-based students. But stopped-out learners require a different approach. They need flexible pathways that acknowledge work schedules, caregiving responsibilities, and credits for prior learning experiences. They need educational models that fit into their lives instead of requiring them to press pause on everything else.

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