How adults can navigate going back to school

An ever-changing employment landscape is compelling many adults to go back to school.

According to a February 2026 report from the American College of Education , roughly one in three adults who chose to return to school within the previous two years did so out of concerns related to automation and artificial intelligence (AI).

Education is an undeniable asset when confronting an uncertain job market. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that workers with a bachelor’s degree have an employment rate that is roughly 7 percentage points higher than the rate for workers who have some college education but did not earn a bachelor’s degree. In an era when so many adults fear automation and AI, that 7 percentage point disparity seems even more significant.

Adults planning to return to school may find such a return exciting but also a little bit intimidating. But adults need not be intimidated, and some might even find they enjoy school more as adults than they did when navigating academia years earlier.

As adults prepare to return to the classroom, keeping a few things in mind can ease their concerns and lay a foundation for success:

• You’re not alone. As the ACE report indicates, many adults are going back to school. Knowing there will be others your age and with similar life experiences should calm concerns and make the classroom less intimidating. In fact, data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicate that 74% of students have at least one nontraditional characteristic, a notable statistic that should eliminate adult students’ fears that they don’t belong.

• Recognize you’re brining a unique and insightful perspective. When returning to school, many adults bring a unique perspective that their younger classmates cannot provide. Having navigated professional and personal challenges, which may include raising a family, adult students challenge the status quo, which can contribute to more engaging and more nuanced classroom discussions. When viewed through that lens, it’s hard to dispute that adult students are assets.

• Prepare for change. It’s vital that adult students recognize academia has changed. But change should be embraced and not seen as a hurdle or deterrent. Many schools now use e-books instead of traditional print books, which may require some adjustment for adult students. And applications that might not have been around the last time adults were in a classroom may be the standard now. Using e-books and new applications may require a learning curve, but educators, many of whom also had to adapt to the growing emphasis on tech over the last couple of decades, recognize adult students will need time to adjust, and many are more than willing to afford that time and offer advice on how to adjust.

• Prepare to enjoy education more this time around. Many adults who return to school report enjoying academia more the second time around.

Some who have tried college before might have lacked direction the first time around, and that undoubtedly affected their motivation and enthusiasm.

When adults return to school, they do so knowing exactly what they want and why they’re back in school, which makes the experience more enjoyable and engaging.

Adults have much to gain from going back to school. As millions who have returned to school as adults can attest, those gains greatly outweigh the fears adults may have as they begin this exciting chapter in their lives.