This 66-Year-Old Member of the Class of 2018 Is One of Many Older Adults Pursuing Higher Education

Recent Georgia State University graduate Larry Johnson, 66, represents a growing trend in the United States, reports MarketWatch . About 512,000 students at least 50 years of age or older were enrolled in undergraduate institutions in the fall of 2015, according to government data analyzed by Seton Hall University Professor Robert Kelchen. That figure accounts for about 2.9 percent of all students enrolled in college. Although older Americans have comprised approximately the same percentage of overall college students since 2003, their enrollment patterns diverge from other economic and educational trends. During the Great Recession, as more students entered college to re-skill, the population of older college students also grew, surpassing 612,000 in the fall of 2009. Lori Trawinski with AARP's Public Policy Institute says economic pressures and longer life spans have made college a more appealing prospect for students who might otherwise be considering retirement. Nonprofits, state and local governments, and colleges themselves are starting to step up with programs to support older Americans. AARP's Foundation works with community colleges and employers to help train workers 50 years and older for in-demand jobs in their area, while divinity schools also are increasingly offering opportunities for older adults to participate in programs leaning toward a paying or volunteer career working towards social good.