Many college students are bright, young, and eager. But these days a new group of people is joining the college crowd. They’re also bright and eager, but they’re not young. Across North America, more and more seniors are going back to school. Whereas employers may sometimes be unenthusiastic to hiring the senior demographic, academic facilities are welcoming.
It’s true that fewer than one percent of university students are 65 or older, but their numbers are increasing. After all, there are 80 million boomers in the U.S. and Canada, and more join that group each year. Here are some of the reasons the number of students age 50+ is continuing to rise.
What are the Benefits of Going Back To School?
Their reasons aren’t so different from those of younger students. They want to learn something, they seek a challenge, they value social interaction and they want to get ahead in their careers. In addition, many seniors like the classroom because it keeps them mentally sharp.
Staying Competitive in Their Jobs
With people working longer, many seniors have not retired and have no plans to do so. Many are competing for opportunities with younger workers who have advanced degrees. To keep up, they might choose anything from advanced training in a technical field to a master’s degree in business administration.
One advantage of initiating education to improve performance in a current job: in most cases, the employer will pick up the tuition cost.
Gaining Skills for a Different Job
The senior years are a time for reflection, and many older adults decide that they want to impact the world in a positive way with the time they have remaining. Often they gravitate to jobs helping people. Many are in a financial position to transition to a career that pays less but brings greater satisfaction. Still others dream of something they’ve always wanted to do, be it writing, an artistic endeavor, or perhaps even real estate sales.
The new endeavor doesn’t have to be one that comes with a big paycheck. There might be seniors taking classes in culinary arts, in music practice and theory, or in some aspect of working with young people The goal may not necessarily to secure a job but to make a positive impact with their newfound knowledge.
Staying Engaged with Life 
Some seniors attend classes for the same reasons people of all ages participate in sports: they enjoy it and it’s good for them. After all, the brain, like a muscle, needs exercise. People who stay curious and keep learning are less likely to fall prey to dementia. Lifelong learners tend to be happier and healthier.
Then there’s the social aspect. Seniors get to engage not only with their peers but also with a younger demographic. There’s sometimes that stereotype that older people constantly criticize the younger generations, but those older people aren’t the ones you find in the classroom. Most senior students welcome the opportunity to engage with people of all ages.
It’s a relationship that benefits both sides. Older people are tuned in to attitudes and skills that will serve them well in modern society, and the younger students – at least those who are astute enough to do so – benefit from lessons relayed and learned from a lifetime of experience.
Checking Off a Bucket List Item
There are seniors who never got a degree and have sworn that one day they would do so. Maybe they had to leave college to work, or maybe they were more interested in other things when they were just out of high school. Now they’ve decided they want their children and grandchildren to be inspired by seeing them walk up onto the stage, shake hands with the dean and take that precious paper in hand.
Simple Curiosity
Some people just like to learn things, and the desire doesn’t disappear with age. In fact, seniors typically have more time to study something merely for the satisfaction of knowing more. If they’ve always been interested in Russian literature or medieval architecture or the world of butterflies, there’s no reason they shouldn’t take a class and satisfy their curiosity.
Seniors Going Back to College and Payment Options
College costs are high and they go up every year. Seniors aren’t totally exempt from the rising cost of higher education, but there are a number of programs that help them get through the classroom door.
For starters, there are tax credits. In the U.S., many seniors are eligible for the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit of up to $2,000 or the American Opportunity Tax Credit of up to $2,500. Most Canadian post-secondary students, seniors or not, are eligible for a Tuition Tax Credit.
In many cases a senior can take advantage of a 529 account, the tax-deferred savings plan for college expenses. If they opened a plan for a child or grandchild and there are unused funds left in the account, they might be able to transfer them to themselves for their own use. If they plan to attend classes in a few years, they can open their own 529. Interest earned is tax-free as long as it’s used for education.
Free and Reduced Tuition Classes
Almost all American states offer seniors something in terms of a tuition break. In some states, it covers any state university and in others, it’s restricted to community colleges and two-year degrees. Usually, it’s offered only on a space-available basis; a senior is not allowed to take a spot from a paying student. Some states restrict free tuition to auditing courses and don’t allow free classes to count toward a degree. Other states offer free tuition for degree credit classes.
Free tuition programs are generally restricted to state residents. They’re available at a number of prestigious institutions such as the University of Alaska, University of Arkansas, Clemson University, University of Connecticut., University of Delaware, Georgia Tech, the University of Illinois, University of Kentucky, University of Maryland and Penn State University.
There are also a number of collegiate programs to support seniors. For example, over 100 colleges and universities, representing all 50 states, participate with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Seniors can join OLLI at a participating university to take advantage of the program. OLLI classes are specifically designed for adults 50 and older.
Many institutions sponsor their own senior-oriented programs. Florida Atlantic University, for instance, supports its Lifelong Learning Society, which is the largest adult continuing education program in the U.S.
Arizona State University in Tempe has gone as far as to construct a dorm where people 60 and older may choose to live on campus. Lasell College in Massachusetts sponsors a cooperative venture with a retirement community.
In Canada, several top universities offer courses and programs for seniors that are free of tuition. These include the University of British Columbia, University of Saskatchewan, University of Calgary, University of Manitoba, Dalhousie University, Concordia University, York University, McMaster University and Guelph University.
What Do Seniors Study? 
Senior adults can be found in all kinds of classrooms, but there are a few fields of study that have special appeal for this demographic.
For two-year associate degrees, some of the most popular fields are accounting, art, child development, tax preparation, real estate sales and psychology. These are areas of study that have practical job-related benefits and also fields with an opportunity to relate to and assist other people.
Popular bachelor’s degree programs include accounting, psychology, general business, engineering, writing and photography. And there are more job-focused areas of concentration such as veterinary technicians, hairstylists, and medical records specialists.
Some of the more popular studies for graduate programs are accounting, business administration, and public health.
Some seniors are looking to enhance their careers, others are training for a new occupation and some are simply studying topics that they find to be of interest. Whatever the incentive to return to the classroom, the benefits are many. And the sense of accomplishment cannot be understated.
