For the third consecutive year, undergraduates aged 25 and older – more than 85 percent of whom have earned previous credit – are returning to higher education in significant numbers. According to new National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) data, every major sector—from community colleges to public and private universities—is seeing returning undergrad enrollment climb. The long slide of adult participation from 2012 to 2023 has clearly ended.

For hundreds of institutions seeking to attract the “some college, no credential” (SCNC) population—the latest of the “alternative” student audiences that many hope will counteract the demographic declines among traditional-aged undergraduates—this data matters profoundly. The SCNC audience is nearly synonymous with the 25+ returning undergrad population, as well as with what most institutions define as returning students and increasingly even transfer students.

My own research over the last twenty years—beginning with the “adult undergraduate” population—has shown in survey after survey that 85 percent or more of students aged 25+ have previously enrolled and earned college credit. This means that if your institution is targeting any of these overlapping audiences—SCNC, returning, or transfer—this is the dataset you should be watching. It offers the clearest window into how effectively higher education is re-engaging those who once stepped away.

Three Years of Growth

Between Fall 2023 and Fall 2025, nearly 600,000 additional undergraduates aged 25+ have enrolled nationwide. That’s not a small shift; it’s the most sustained growth among returning undergrads we’ve seen since the late 1990s.

For institutions that have invested in meeting these students where they are—through flexible scheduling, accelerated formats, and robust online options—this wave of re-enrollment represents both vindication and opportunity.

But while the overall numbers tell a story of resurgence, they mask a deeper and more nuanced reality that we will discuss later in this article.

Visualization 1: Three Years of Growth

As the chart above shows, the long slide of enrollment among returning undergrads has ended—students aged 25+ have now driven growth for three straight years.

Visualization 2: Hundreds of Thousands Returning

Year over year, hundreds of thousands of returning undergrads have flowed back into higher education—nearly 600,000 over three years.

Growth Is Broad—But Not Even

As I noted in “2.1 Million More ‘Some College…’ Students: Who Is Getting Them to Return?”, the influx of returning undergrads is not evenly distributed. In 2011, three-quarters of all 25+ students were enrolled across 753 institutions; by 2023, that number had shrunk to 655. This consolidation is continuing.

Even as all sectors are showing positive momentum, the bulk of new returning-student enrollments are being absorbed by a smaller number of institutions—those that have systematically aligned their programs and policies with the expectations of this audience. These institutions look very different from the “big five” online providers that once dominated the market. Today’s leaders are diverse in mission, sector, and geography, but united by design that recognizes what returning undergrads value.

Visualization 3: Concentration and Diversification

This resurgence is not confined to one type of institution. Growth spans all sectors—but it’s being captured by a smaller number of institutions that have built systems for returning-student success.

What’s Driving the Success Stories

From my earlier blog “Growing ‘Some College, No Credential’ Enrollment — 5 Ingredients for Success”, five differentiators stand out among institutions capturing this growth:

1. Program flexibility – stackable credentials, online or hybrid formats, and asynchronous pacing.

2. Streamlined transfer and credit policies – generous acceptance of prior learning and military experience.

3. Comprehensive student support – proactive advising, career integration, and mental-health awareness.

4. Transparent ROI communication – clarity about cost, completion time, and career outcomes.

5. Culture of respect for life experience – returning undergrads are treated as peers, not exceptions.

The new NSC data affirm that institutions applying these strategies are not only weathering demographic headwinds—they’re thriving amid them.

A Redefinition of “Adult-Friendly”

Past efforts to be “adult friendly” focused on convenience and flexibility, but in very different ways that what students need today. Institutions seeking to serve this audience through outdated structures/policies (on campus programs, lots of “hand holding, big emphasis on “personal communication”, etc.) will lose to institutions that respond to today’s expectations of the “some college, no credential” audience. With growth distributed across regional publics, private non-profits, and even small colleges we can be sure that institutions of all types understand today’s version of “adult-friendly”:

• Flexible, largely online delivery of coursework

• Career-aligned, from start to finish demonstrating career preparation

• Community-connected, not detached from place

• Convenient, services and supports offered in virtual environments

• Cost conscious, both with affordable tuition and generous credit acceptance

Returning undergrads are proving that relevance, respect, and results matter more than ever before.

Implications for Institutional Leaders

If your institution’s returning-undergrad population has not grown in the past three years, you have to look “under the hood.” It’s cause for reflection, investigation, and action. The institutions that have gained the most returning students aren’t necessarily those with the deepest pockets, largest marketing budgets, or most prestigious reputations. They’re those that have removed friction, embraced transparency, and built programs around the realities of modern learners.

It’s also time for leaders to recognize that these audiences—“some college, no credential,” “returning,” and “transfer” students—are not distinct segments competing for attention. They are different labels for the same underlying population: individuals who have already experienced college, paused their education for any number of reasons, and are now deciding whether to trust higher education again.

Treating them as separate markets can dilute strategy and divide resources. The institutions capturing growth have instead unified their approach, aligning recruitment, re-engagement, and credit-transfer strategies under one umbrella. They meet returning undergrads where they are—academically, personally, and logistically—and remove the artificial boundaries that often keep them out.

Demographic shifts remain on the horizon, and younger traditional populations are unlikely to rebound soon. Returning undergrads—by any name—are now the growth market. The question is no longer whether to serve them—but how well.

The Bottom Line

The “long slide” in returning-student enrollment is over. Yet the new expansion is selective—favoring institutions that have done the hard work of adapting. Higher ed’s future is being rewritten not only by the 18-year-old first-year student but also by the 31-year-old returning one.

And increasingly, those two profiles are not as different as we once believed. The some college, no credential, returning, and transfer audiences are converging into a single, defining test of institutional relevance. Colleges that can see beyond these labels—and design experiences that simply meet learners where they are—will lead the next era of growth.

Now is the time for every institution to ask: Are we truly designed for returning undergrads—or merely open to them?

Want to understand how your institution compares? These latest NSC findings are part of an evolving story about how colleges and universities can strengthen enrollment through returning and transfer students. Read my companion blogs - 2.1 Million More ‘Some College…’ Students: Who Is Getting Them to Return? and 5 Ingredients for SCNC Success - or contact me to explore benchmarking opportunities for your campus.

Let’s talk: scott@scottjeffe.com