Understanding Your Future Adult Learner

To help our partners recruit and serve their future adult learners, EAB surveyed more than 2,000 current and prospective adult, graduate, online, and professional students about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and their enrollment plans. The following pages include lessons from the survey as well as strategies that will help your institution respond to these trends.

Ultimately, the research and recommendations in this report are intended to help your institution become nimbler and better able to respond to both future crises and the day-to-day realities of the recruitment ecosystem.

1. The impact of COVID-19 on your future adult learner

Thirty-five percent of all surveyed students said the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their education plans. But the ways in which the pandemic affected students and their journeys to enrollment vary significantly.

For some, the pandemic accelerated their desire or ability to return to school. But for others, the pandemic was detrimental to their ability to pursue or complete their education. These students said changes in work or family responsibilities, financial hardship, illness, inability to travel, and increased stress negatively impacted their ability to explore or enroll in a graduate program.

Hear More From Students, in Their Own Words

2. Recruit and support students from underserved groups

The pandemic’s impact was especially acute for students of color. More than half of Asian students surveyed said the pandemic impacted their education plans. African, African American, and Black students were also unequally impacted by the pandemic, with 45 percent of students in this group indicating COVID-19 affected their plans to pursue graduate education. In addition to students of color, nearly 60 percent of international students who planned to pursue graduate studies in the United States said the pandemic changed their education plans, compared to 28 percent of their domestic counterparts.

Explore Strategies to Recruit and Serve Students From Underserved Groups

3. Online learning continues to gain popularity

Online enrollments account for a growing slice of the master’s and professional doctorate markets. Enrollment in online graduate programs increased by about 7 percent annually on average from 2014 to 2019. By contrast, enrollment in on-ground graduate programs declined about 2 percent annually.

While online graduate enrollment is growing, our survey indicates interest in online programs remains divided. About 40 percent of respondents indicated they are considering online programs, while 43 percent said they are not interested in online learning. Online programs are neither a right fit for all nor a silver bullet for institutions looking to grow graduate enrollment. However, results of this survey suggest the pandemic may be a turning point in students’ perceptions of online graduate education.

Learn More About Succeeding in the Online Market

4. Your future adult learner is increasingly hard to find

Our 2021 survey reaffirms the pragmatic approach adult learners take to the search and application processes.  The journey to enrollment continues to be long for many adult learners. One in three surveyed students said they have researched graduate programs for more than 18 months. Students aged 26 and older, and especially students 35 and older, are especially likely to research programs for at least one year. This lengthy journey to enrollment suggests that institutions should continue outreach to students who have not engaged with recruitment marketing in months or even years.

Reach More Students

Download the Report