Colleges and States Help 'Stopouts' Return to Finish Degrees

Scholarships, outreach, and support services are enabling more adults who left college to reenroll and complete their education.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 9:06pm

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An abstract, impressionistic scene of a college campus, with blurred figures and buildings in a warm, golden glow, conveying a sense of nostalgia and new beginnings for adult students reentering higher education.A return to campus life brings renewed hope for adult learners who left college before completing their degrees.Baltimore Today

After experiencing personal and financial challenges, Jevona Anderson dropped out of the University of Baltimore while nearing completion of her bachelor's degree. However, with the help of a scholarship program and student support services, Anderson was able to reenroll and is now on track to graduate this spring. Her story highlights a growing trend of 'stopouts' - adults who leave college before finishing their degrees - returning to complete their education, as colleges and states implement targeted initiatives to reengage this population.

Why it matters

Earning a college degree can significantly improve long-term earnings, but many students face obstacles that cause them to leave school before graduating. By providing financial assistance, personalized outreach, and wraparound support services, colleges and states are helping more of these 'stopouts' get back on track to finish their degrees, unlocking greater economic potential for both the individuals and their communities.

The details

After experiencing several family deaths and an eviction that left her homeless, Jevona Anderson's grades at the University of Baltimore began to suffer, and she eventually dropped out in 2025 while nearing completion of her bachelor's degree in environmental sustainability. However, when Anderson was ready to reenroll, a scholarship program at the university helped cover her remaining credits and housing costs, enabling her to get back on track. Colleges across the country are seeing an increase in stopout reenrollment, up 7% in the 2023-2024 school year, as they implement targeted initiatives like outreach, data-driven support services, and dedicated scholarship funds. In Maryland, colleges reenrolled over 25,000 stopouts in 2023-2024, though this is still a small fraction of the 600,000 working-age adults in the state who had previously dropped out without completing their degrees.

  • In 2025, Jevona Anderson dropped out of the University of Baltimore while nearing completion of her bachelor's degree.
  • In late 2022, when Anderson was ready to reenroll, she learned about the university's scholarship program for people close to finishing their degrees.
  • Anderson is on track to graduate from the University of Baltimore this spring semester of 2026.

The players

Jevona Anderson

A 60-year-old student at the University of Baltimore who dropped out in 2025 due to personal and financial challenges, but was later able to reenroll with the help of a scholarship program and is now on track to graduate this spring.

University of Baltimore

The university Anderson attends, which offers a scholarship program to help students close to completing their degrees reenroll and finish their education.

Carnegie Corporation

A philanthropic organization that largely funds the scholarship program at the University of Baltimore that helped Anderson reenroll.

ReUp

A company that partners with colleges to facilitate reenrollment of stopouts through coaching, data tools, and matching students with appropriate academic programs.

Richie Ince

The director of enrollment management at Pueblo Community College in Colorado, who launched a stopout scholarship program about a decade ago to help former students reenroll and complete their degrees.

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What they’re saying

“It was so easy for someone my age to stop, because I have a lot of professional skills to get a job to continue to just live. It's bigger than that.”

— Jevona Anderson, Student, University of Baltimore

“Higher education continues to have great unmet potential to help people live better lives, and we're talking about a group of Americans that have already started down to that path; they're close to the finish line.”

— James Kvaal, Former Undersecretary of Education, Biden Administration; Education Grantmaker, Carnegie Corporation

“We just heard a lot of students say this was the kind of kick in the pants they needed, or that they just needed someone to reach out.”

— Richie Ince, Director of Enrollment Management, Pueblo Community College

What’s next

The University of Baltimore plans to continue offering its scholarship program for stopouts, and other colleges and states are expected to expand similar initiatives to reengage this population of adult learners who are close to completing their degrees.

The takeaway

By providing targeted financial assistance, personalized outreach, and wraparound support services, colleges and states are enabling more 'stopouts' - adults who left college before finishing their degrees - to reenroll and complete their education. This is unlocking greater economic potential for both the individuals and their communities, as a college degree can significantly boost long-term earnings.