New Survey Examines Barriers to Women Dropouts Returning to College to Earn Their Degrees

A new study published by the American Women’s College at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, reveals that 76 million adult women in the United States do not have a bachelor’s degree. Many of those 76 million women had started their educational journey, but were unable to graduate as a result of various life factors. More than half of the women in the current study, which focused on 2,000 women ages 25 – 44, had attempted to but never finished their degree.

The majority of women surveyed shared that in the past, when attempting to balance education and other life commitments, their previous higher education institutions did not provide the flexibility they needed to continue. Respondents overwhelmingly pointed to financial barriers and family commitments as the most critical factors standing in the way of achieving a degree.

For women interested in returning to college, the survey findings showed that 96 percent agreed that furthering their education would allow them to seek the employment opportunities they’ve always wanted, and 95 percent shared that completing a degree would open many new doors, enabling them to have more control over their future. But returning to class after time away can be daunting, and the majority of women who have considered returning are nervous (69 percent) and somewhat overwhelmed (58 percent) by the prospect, according to the survey.

Some 79 percent of respondents to the survey claimed that flexible learning hours would make returning to college easier, while 77 percent expressed that online learning would make it easier to return to college.

“For adult women today to achieve their dream of a degree, colleges and universities need to reconsider their educational delivery models,” said Dr. Carol A. Leary, President of Bay Path University.