Colleges Are Making Dramatic Changes to Attract Older Adults

With adults 50 and older increasingly attending colleges or getting graduate degrees, universities are revamping their policies to be more age-friendly, reports Considerable . Lasell College's Joann Montepare says age-friendly universities (AFUs) are typically led by gerontology programs or a center on aging, which help ensure the accommodation of older adults in all aspects of university programs, disciplines, and policies. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that almost 700,000 adults 50 and up were enrolled in public or private colleges in 2015 — numbers that are projected to rise as the population continues to age. Forty-five U.S. academic institutions have formally adopted the AFU framework since its import from Ireland four years ago, ranging from UCLA to Washington University in St. Louis. AFU core principles include encouraging older adults' participation in all aspects of university life; promoting personal development and careers for the second half of life; and improving older adults' access to the university's health, wellness, and arts programs.