Sep 22, 2026 · 21 min · 10 segments
Trinity Times student journalists Anette Perez, Genesis Bu-Chinchilla and Tanzania Kennedy explore what it means to return to college after years or decades away, featuring Trinity student Josefina…
So research by Gallup and the National Student Clearinghouse highlights the scale of the issue.
More than 37 million working-age adults attended college but did not earn a degree or another credential, such as a certificate.
But leaving college does not always mean abandoning education permanently.
Some former students returned years or even decades later to complete what they started.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 1 million former students returned to college.
That was approximately 66,000 more students than the previous year, representing an increase of 7%.
Did researchers examine how many former students considered returning to college and how many actually re-enrolled? Is there a gap between intention and action?
Gallup found that 68% of adults who had stopped attending college had considered going back.
The research shows that the low return rate is not caused by a lack of interest.
Many potential students still face a combination of financially out of range tuition costs, unpredictable work schedules, caregiving responsibilities, limited course flexibility, and uncertainty about whether the credits they earned years ago will still apply to a degree.
Is this national trend also reflected here in Washington, D.C.? What do the local figures tell us?
More than 36,000 working-age adults whose last college enrollment was at an institution in Washington, D.C., had left without earning a credential.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, 973 of those former students re-enrolled at a college somewhere in the United States, producing a re-enrollment rate of about 2.65%.
They represent former students whose last institution was located in the District
This gap between the desire to return and the ability to re-enroll is important because unfinished education can affect a person's career options, income, and confidence.
And now we see that those who manage to return are encouraging examples for other students who are considering the same journey.
So research by Gallup and the National Student Clearinghouse highlights the scale of the issue.
More than 37 million working-age adults attended college but did not earn a degree or another credential, such as a certificate.
But leaving college does not always mean abandoning education permanently.
Some former students returned years or even decades later to complete what they started.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 1 million former students returned to college.
That was approximately 66,000 more students than the previous year, representing an increase of 7%.
Did researchers examine how many former students considered returning to college and how many actually re-enrolled? Is there a gap between intention and action?
Gallup found that 68% of adults who had stopped attending college had considered going back.
The research shows that the low return rate is not caused by a lack of interest.
Many potential students still face a combination of financially out of range tuition costs, unpredictable work schedules, caregiving responsibilities, limited course flexibility, and uncertainty about whether the credits they earned years ago will still apply to a degree.
Is this national trend also reflected here in Washington, D.C.? What do the local figures tell us?
More than 36,000 working-age adults whose last college enrollment was at an institution in Washington, D.C., had left without earning a credential.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, 973 of those former students re-enrolled at a college somewhere in the United States, producing a re-enrollment rate of about 2.65%.
They represent former students whose last institution was located in the District
This gap between the desire to return and the ability to re-enroll is important because unfinished education can affect a person's career options, income, and confidence.
And now we see that those who manage to return are encouraging examples for other students who are considering the same journey.
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