Age is no deterrent when
it comes to academics.
Students often experience some jitters on
the first day of school, but the prospect of such
nervousness doesn’t appear to be too great a
deterrent for students 60 and older. Officials at
Toronto’s York University estimated they had around
430 students aged 60 and older in undergraduate and
graduate programs in 2021. Increased enrollment
among people at or nearing what is often considered
retirement age could be a reflection of what the
AARP notes has been an increase in continuing
education courses at many colleges and universities.
Such courses may be offered to individuals of a
certain age at reduced tuition. They also can help
workers over 50 learn new skills that can benefit
them in an ever-adapting professional landscape that
increasingly relies on technologies that may not have
been around when older professionals attended
college and began their careers. In addition, the
AARP reports that individuals interested in going
back to school for personal enrichment, as opposed
to achieve an advanced degree, may be able to audit
classes for free. In such instances, older adults often
do not receive academic credit but still get to benefit
from taking the class.
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