• Twitter
  • Facebook
News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Learning curve

If you're an older adult planning on emulating the lieutenant govenor and going back to college for that degree, good luck on getting help from the state:

After two decades of consistent growth, adult students -- defined by most educators as those 25 and up -- are now the majority in Indiana.

But the state's massive $253 million pot of financial aid for needy students goes almost exclusively to young, full-time, traditional college students. A drop in the bucket, about $5.3 million, is set aside for "part-time" students.

The 25-and-older adult students, many of whom have jobs and families, tend to be part-time students, which means they have access to less financial aid. They also are often unfamiliar with how to access what little aid is available.

I was one of those adult students, but thanks to the GI Bill and living rent-free with my in-laws, I was able to get a degree and emerge debt-free. I can't imagine what it's like to come out of college today saddled with student-loan debt and entering an economy not friendly to beginners. Is the higher-education bubble about to burst?

Comments

Bob G.
Thu, 09/09/2010 - 9:37am

Leo:
It would make sense...every OTHER bubble has burst, and fairly recently.
Why not higher learning?

Good point.

Brian
Sat, 09/11/2010 - 3:30am

You haven't even began the foundation for a complete debate. Might I remind you that Disabled children get aid, but disabled adults do not. SO now even an adult with disabilities can not compete in a fair education system, and Obama calls this progress.

Quantcast