Postsecondary Choices of Nontraditional-Age Students: Non-Credit Courses or a Credential Program?

Postsecondary education institutions of all types now operate in an external societal context increasingly influenced by international internet communication and global market forces. The college aspirations of nontraditional age (adult) postsecondary students facing a variety of choices for further education and/or job skills often reflect their work-related goals. Employing multinomial logistic (MNL) regression analysis, with selected results illustrated by plotting predicted probabilities, and using a nationally representative sample, this study tests the primary hypothesis that career-oriented young adults value postsecondary credential programs (either a college or university program, or a vocational/technical diploma/certificate program) over noncredit courses.