Genio New Majority Learner Report 2025: Four in 10 College Students are Over the Age of 22; Seven in 10 Work While Studying

Report analyzes large datasets to identify "new majority learners", unique challenges they face, and what higher education can do to support them

CLEARWATER, Fla., June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Genio, a provider of learning tools that significantly improve student success, today released the Genio New Majority Learner Report 2025. The study analyzed multiple large data sets, including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), to understand the characteristics of and challenges faced by non-traditional students — known as "new majority learners" — who are dramatically changing the makeup of the student body in higher education.

The "typical" college student is no longer a full-time learner, nor a recent high school graduate. More than four in 10 (40.2%) of students are older than 22, and almost seven in 10 (69.3%) work while studying. Additionally, the number of neurodiverse learners has grown more than 2.5 times since 2004. These students face three major challenges, according to the data, which affects students' ability to succeed in higher education and their eligibility for gainful employment post-graduation.

• Time constraints: The vast majority of students work while studying, four in 10 (39.1%) study part-time and almost one in 5 (19.2%) have children. The demands of work and home leave them precious little time to attend class, much less study.
• Lack of preparation: Almost three in 10 (29.6%) are first-generation students, whom studies show often arrive in college underprepared for the academic rigor of higher education.
• Barriers to learning: One-quarter of all students are immigrants (25%) and about one in six are learning English as a second language (17.7%) or neurodivergent (16.5%).

The report also proposes strategies that institutions of higher learning can employ to support these students:

• Introduce study skills courses: Study skills courses can bridge gaps for new majority learners by providing a common foundation in essential learning strategies.
• Deploy assistive technology: Research shows assistive technology can significantly improve postsecondary education enrollment and academic outcomes for all students, not just those with special needs.
• Embrace online learning: Online learning provides flexibility and accessibility for new majority learners that overcomes many of the barriers they face to higher education.
• Use early warning systems to identify students who need support: Analytic models and early warning systems can identify at-risk students so institutions can provide support early, when it's most effective.
• Develop programs specifically to support first-generation students: Assistance navigating financial aid, understanding academic expectations, and building social networks on campus can help these students overcome obstacles and thrive in their academic careers.

The authors also explore how different departments within higher ed — faculty, academic advising, disability services and student success — can work both independently and collaboratively to increase the academic success of new majority learners.

"Especially as higher education faces the coming enrollment cliff and, in the U.S., uncertainty regarding international students, institutions are facing a crisis of revenue," said Dave Tucker, founder and CEO at Genio. They need to find ways to retain more students, which means improving support for their new majority learners. This report draws on extensive data to create a detailed portrait of these learners and their challenges, and it provides higher education professionals with strategies they can employ to increase their academic engagement, enjoyment and success."

Down the report here: Genio New Majority Learner Report 2025. To learn more about Genio, visit https://genio.co.

About Genio
Genio's mission is to unlock better learning for everyone, with courses that develop learning skills and tools that put knowledge into action. Genio's products are beautifully simple, meaningfully structured, and effortlessly connected. Trusted by more than 900 institutions globally, Genio has assisted learners in over 1.6 million classes, empowering 91% of learners using Genio's tools to improve and maintain their grades while reducing stress and boosting confidence. Especially as non-traditional students become the new majority learner, Genio helps institutions increase persistence and grow graduation rates.

For more information on Genio, visit https://genio.co.

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SOURCE Genio