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?
