Student Retention: The Community College and Non-Traditional Students in a New Economic Landscape

Abstract Book of the 10th International Academic Conference on Education

Year: 2026

[PDF]

Student Retention: The Community College and Non-Traditional Students in a New Economic Landscape

Ali Khalil

ABSTRACT:

Non-traditional students constitute a large population in the higher education system and the workforce in the United States. Their contributions to the American economy are significant, and with the ever-evolving economic conditions, they have re-shaped the mission of academia. Accordingly, as adult students returning to the college system, meeting their academic expectations in a new economic era is of the utmost importance. This mixed-methods research elicits a multitude of variables that have reshaped the role of the community college system, in particular, and have raised the bar for what they can do to meet the academic and training needs of non-traditional, adult students. This research focuses on how the advent of artificial intelligence; the rise of remote jobs in a post-pandemic world; and the changes in immigration policies that traditionally attracted international talents to America have re-modeled the mission of the American community college system. Specifically, this mixed-methods study will highlight the efforts of the community college in retaining non-traditional students; placing them on a path toward earning a bachelor’s degree; and re-training a returning, adult student population for a new workforce in the age of artificial intelligence and a changing economic environment.

Keywords: Student Retention; Higher Education; Education Policy; Non-Traditional Students; Economy