A large national trend, increase in adult enrollment modest at Webster
Cost seen as biggest hurdle
By: Eric Aikin
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: News
With national unemployment rates currently at 10 percent, many educational institutions across the country are seeing increased enrollment from jobless adults seeking to make their resumes more competitive.
However, Webster University has had only minor increases in adult student enrollment lately, according to Sarah Nandor, director of Graduate and Evening Student Admissions.
One reason for this may be that the price of WU's tuition causes most unemployed adults to look elsewhere for their education.
"You'd think you could go back to school, but they have the consideration of paying $1,410 a class. So if you're not employed, you don't automatically think 'I am going to pay that much for class,'" said Diane Fagan, senior director at WU's Fort Smith campus. "We have a lot of students on financial aid, but most of them consider it pretty seriously before they start accruing that kind of debt."
Another challenge for students is that they're not used to being actively involved in their education, Fagan said.
"Their expectation is usually - they'll come in, memorize, listen, take a test, and then they'll be done. And then they'll realize - no, they have to participate, and they can't just sit there and listen. The participation is what makes the experience valuable," Fagan said. "It is not a passive situation. They are definitely actively involved in whatever they're learning, so it is nothing like what they expect."
Older students tend to be more practical when it comes to their education, Fagan said, because they often have concerns that most traditional younger students don't have to worry about.
"The level of responsibility that they have in their lives is usually pretty heavy," Fagan said. "And so when they make decisions about what they're doing, they're considering more than just their own whims. And that makes it harder to make the decision, and it makes it more important that it be the right decision. So it's certainly not a whimsical kind of situation."
However, Webster University has had only minor increases in adult student enrollment lately, according to Sarah Nandor, director of Graduate and Evening Student Admissions.
One reason for this may be that the price of WU's tuition causes most unemployed adults to look elsewhere for their education.
"You'd think you could go back to school, but they have the consideration of paying $1,410 a class. So if you're not employed, you don't automatically think 'I am going to pay that much for class,'" said Diane Fagan, senior director at WU's Fort Smith campus. "We have a lot of students on financial aid, but most of them consider it pretty seriously before they start accruing that kind of debt."
Another challenge for students is that they're not used to being actively involved in their education, Fagan said.
"Their expectation is usually - they'll come in, memorize, listen, take a test, and then they'll be done. And then they'll realize - no, they have to participate, and they can't just sit there and listen. The participation is what makes the experience valuable," Fagan said. "It is not a passive situation. They are definitely actively involved in whatever they're learning, so it is nothing like what they expect."
Older students tend to be more practical when it comes to their education, Fagan said, because they often have concerns that most traditional younger students don't have to worry about.
"The level of responsibility that they have in their lives is usually pretty heavy," Fagan said. "And so when they make decisions about what they're doing, they're considering more than just their own whims. And that makes it harder to make the decision, and it makes it more important that it be the right decision. So it's certainly not a whimsical kind of situation."
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