More than one million adults who left college without a degree re-enrolled in the 2023-24 academic year, the most the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has ever counted.
“They are reviving college aspirations that had been put on hold years before,” Doug Shapiro, the research center’s executive director, said when the findings were released last year.
The center counts 43.1 million Americans with some college and no degree. Of those, 37.6 million are under 65, a working-age group that grew 2.2% in a year.
Online degree programs for adults offer a potential pathway back to higher education for these individuals. Risepoint, a global education technology company that works with more than 100 universities, supports regional universities in building degree paths for adults, many of whom have jobs and families to plan around as they try to finish their degrees.
Why Do Adults Leave College Without a Degree?
Money is often the deciding factor for adults who pause or stop their program without earning a degree. In a November 2025 report based on a survey of 480 former community college students by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University, 45% cited financial hardship. Another 29% said they did not have enough time for school, 25% pointed to family obligations, and 21% had trouble scheduling or getting to classes.
Few of them saw it as quitting: 78% called their leave temporary and planned to return to the college where they started, and 12% hoped to enroll somewhere else.
For adults considering a return to higher education, online degree programs for adults can provide the flexibility to balance academic responsibilities with employment and family commitments.
The Cost of Stopping Short of a College Degree
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2025, full-time workers 25 and older with some college but no degree had median weekly earnings of $1,062. Workers with a bachelor’s degree earned $1,578. Over a year, that is nearly $27,000. And unemployment was 3.8% for those with some college and 2.8% for bachelor’s degree holders.
An August 2026 study by MDRC and the Washington Student Achievement Council found the same pattern among younger adults. Washington’s 2017 high school graduates who started college and left without a credential had median 2023 earnings of $42,473 among those with stable jobs. That was only about $500 more than classmates who never enrolled. The researchers called these former students “an untapped resource,” with the potential to meaningfully increase the financial benefits of a college education they have already started.
For those seeking to complete their education, online degree programs for adults may provide an accessible route toward earning a credential and improving long-term career opportunities.
How Online Degree Programs for Adults Support Returning Students?
Primarily online institutions were the last stop for about 5% of the some-college population, according to the Clearinghouse’s 2025 report. They accounted for roughly 15% of re-enrollments. Community colleges remain the biggest source of both stopouts and returns: two-thirds of the some-college population last attended one.
Regional universities have also started to play a bigger role in flexible, affordable options for students who may need to stay closer to home for work or family reasons. The University of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx began offering online degrees with support from Risepoint in January 2023. Today, its online bachelor’s programs run from business and healthcare administration to psychology and public policy. The university owns the curriculum, admissions, instruction, and financial aid, and its faculty teach the courses. Risepoint provides technology, initial student outreach, faculty support, and retention services.
That last service is tied to how the company is paid. Risepoint refers to its model as “fee for persistence,” a variation of the revenue-share structure common across the edtech sector. The company provides upfront capital to build a program and is compensated as students progress toward graduation, so when a student stops out again, Risepoint absorbs the loss along with the university.
Balancing Work, Education, and Costs
Students in these programs resemble the returning adults in the Clearinghouse study.
According to Risepoint’s 2025 Impact Report, 86% of surveyed students in Risepoint-supported programs are older than 25, and 90% work while completing their program.
In a Risepoint-commissioned 2026 Ipsos study of graduates of those programs, 99% had worked while they studied, and 59% said they chose an online program so they could keep working.
Financial hardship was the top reason for leaving, according to the CCRC survey. But among the graduates surveyed, whose programs spanned business, education, nursing, and other fields, 52% took out no student loans.
Graduates recouped the cost of their degree in under two years, and 85% said it was worth the investment.
These findings highlight how online degree programs for adults can help returning students continue their education while managing employment, financial responsibilities, and family commitments.
Recommended Articles
Explore our recommended articles to discover flexible online learning opportunities and degree programs designed for working adults. Learn how continuing education can support career advancement, professional development, and long-term earning potential.
