Best Colleges for Adult Learners: 2-Year Colleges
Washington Monthly, a bimonthly nonprofit magazine covering U.S. politics and government, ranked Inver Hills Community College #12 on its 2018 College Guide and Rankings: Best Colleges for Adult Learners—2-Year Colleges.
Based in Washington, D.C., Washington Monthly is respected nationwide for its annual ranking of American colleges and universities. This is the third consecutive year the publication has ranked Inver Hills in the top 15 nationally as a two-year college best equipped to serve adult learners.
To learn more about the rankings and methodology, you can read the Washington Monthly article, “America’s Best Colleges for Adult Learners” by Gilad Edelman.
The article reports: “Yet the truth is that a full 30 percent of undergraduates are adults, defined by the government as twenty-five years old and older. These adult learners are too often ignored by university leaders and policymakers, whose own college experience was typically the traditional full-time, straight-out-of-high-school kind.
“That’s why, in 2016, the Washington Monthly became the first publication to rank colleges according to how well they cater to adult learners. We took data from two federal government sources, as well as the College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges, and combined them into seven measures of colleges’ openness and responsiveness to adult students and of how well those students fare once they leave.”
“Adult students tend to attend college part time, since they have to balance school with earning a living and, often, raising a family. That means they have different needs: flexible course schedules with plenty of weekend and evening offerings.”
— Gilad Edelman, “America’s Best Colleges for Adult Learners,” Washington Monthly, September/October 2018
Inver Hills is a boon for adult learners seeking college degrees. The college has earned national recognition for straightforward transfer pathways as well as flexible degree and certificate options. Adult learners with busy schedules and family responsibilities find a home at Inver through a number of avenues, including Adult Success through Accelerated Programs (ASAP) and a U.S. Department of Education $3.2 million Title III grant.
More about U.S. ED Title III grant…
Inver Hills Community College and Dakota County Technical College were awarded a U.S. Department of Education Title III grant of $3.2 million over five years to serve adult learners at both institutions. Inver Hills is the lead on the grant with DCTC serving as a partner.
The funded project’s title is “Adult Learners: Service, Success, & Growth.” The problems addressed by the project include:
- High numbers of adult learners and first-generation students
- Declining student success rates
- Increasing demand for online and hybrid credit courses
- Advising system and related processes present numerous challenges
- Prior learning assessment policies, procedures, and application inconsistent and not aligned with equivalencies or easily transferred
- Limited professional development opportunities for faculty and staff
To learn more about the U.S. Department of Education Title III grant, contact:
Anne S. Johnson, MBA
DCTC Associate Vice President of Student Affairs
651-423-8281
Inver Hills spring 2018 grads gallery
Adult Success through Accelerated Programs (ASAP)
ASAP gives you the opportunity to earn a college degree at an accelerated, flexible and independent pace while getting college credit for the knowledge and skills you’ve gained through your work and life experiences. ASAP uses Prior Learning Assessments and other tools to match your know-how with college courses, saving you money as well as time in the classroom.
As an ASAP student, you can complete two classes each semester while balancing just one at a time. Accelerated 8-week courses meet one night a week.To learn more about ASAP, contact:
ASAP Program
651-450-3367
College Center Room 270
To learn more about opportunities for adult learners at Inver Hills, contact:
Admissions Team
College Center
651-450-3000
