It's never too late to #BeAFinisher
The Adult College and Credentials Initiative
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s (OSSE's) Adult College and Credentials (ACC) Initiative seeks to encourage adult learners (either first-time or returning) to earn a degree or other postsecondary credentials.
Adult learners often face various challenges that keep them from completing their postsecondary goals. In January 2014, OSSE convened a working group comprised of 10 adult-friendly community and postsecondary partners aimed at providing stronger institutionalized and community-based support for adult learners. The working group designed a Fistrict-wide campaign to educate adult learners about the available paths for college completion.
The ACC Initiative helps promote a collaborative approach to increasing adult college completion and brings the student-centered perspective to the forefront of college completion work.
2024 ACC Working Group Members:
- DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking – Student Loan Ombudsman
- Educational Opportunity Center
- OSSE Division of Early Learning (DEL)
- Reach 4 Success – College Information Center
- OSSE Higher Education Licensure Commission (HELC)
- DC ReEngagement Center
- OSSE Office of College and Career Readiness
Upcoming Event(s)
Are you age 18 or older and interested in going to college or earning a postsecondary credential? Did you start college but were unable to finish? Do you want to earn a training certification but don’t know where to start?
If that’s you, join us for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s (OSSE’s) 2024 Adult College and Credentials Fair.
OSSE’s 2024Adult College and Credentials Fair
Saturday, April 13, 2024, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Public Library (901 G St. NW)
Register here today!
Join us at the fair for:
- Conversations with representatives from organizations, workforce development programs and local colleges and universities that offer credentials, certifications and associate and bachelor’s degree programs that cater to adult learners.
- Scholarship and resource information from organizations that support adult learners who are pursuing postsecondary credentials and higher education degrees.
- Discovering options to finance your postsecondary education including student loan management.
- Workshops designed to provide you with everything you need to know to successfully enroll in workforce development programs, training and apprenticeship programs and certification programs.
- Sessions created to help residents learn how to return to college or enroll in college for the first time.
Register, Attend Workshops, and Complete an Exit Survey! The first 120 attendees to complete the survey gain free virtual Microsoft Office Suite certification training.
It's your time for a fair shot at:
- COLLEGE!
- CAREER TRAINING!
- WORKFORCE DEVLOPMENT!
For more information or questions, contact Gregory Palmer at [email protected].
Adult-friendly Colleges and Universities
Your gateway to college is the admissions office. The links below will take you to admissions websites for the major colleges and universities that are featured at OSSE’s Annual Adult College and Credentials Fair. Please note that these are postsecondary institutions in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that serve adult learners:
- American College of Education
- Arizona State University
- Bay Atlantic University
- Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies
- Georgetown University Pivot Program
- Montgomery College
- Prince George's Community College
- Saint Michael College of Allied Health
- Trinity Washington University
- University of the District of Columbia
- University of the District of Columbia Community College
Adult-friendly Community- Based Organizations
Many community organizations within the District offer certificate training programs, college counseling, adult education programs and financial aid and scholarship opportunities for adult learners. The community-based organizations listed below have been featured at the Adult College and Credentials Fair in previous years. Please visit their websites for more information on programs and services.
- Advancing Early Education Collaborative (AEEC)
- Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School
- CDMA Business Model Academy of Greater Washington
- Centronia Institute
- Constituent Services Worldwide
- Educational Opportunity Center - College Board
- Generation Hope
- Reach 4 Success - The College Information Center
- Run Hope Work
- UPO Workforce Training Institute
- VETS Group
- YWCA National Capital Area
Government Agencies
- DC College Savings Plan
- Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking (DISB)
- Department on Disability Services
- Office of the Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
- US Department of Energy
Revisiting the Dream
Have you gone as far in your career as you can without a college degree? Or is your dream to transition to a career that requires postsecondary education? Whether it's job-related or for personal development, obtaining a credential or graduating from college opens a new world of potential for your life.
Follow These Steps to Ease the Transition to College:
STEP 1: EXPLORE FINANCIAL AID
It is important to understand your options regarding financial aid to pay for college. Financial aid applications can be complex and adult resources are limited. Start now.
Federal options
- To explore federal financial aid opportunities, complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The FAFSA application opens on Oct. 1 of each year and students should submit by March 1. Your school’s deadline may be earlier, so be sure to ask. Visit studentaid.gov to access the FAFSA application.
-
Fresh Start Program, District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities & Banking (DISB) –Fresh Start allows borrowers with eligible defaulted federal student loans to apply for federal student aid so that they may complete their degree.
District Options
- DC TAG – If you earned your diploma or GED between 2009 and 2024, you may be eligible for the DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG). This program provides additional financial support at specific colleges and universities. Please contact the DCTAG office at (202) 727-2824 for more information or visit the DCTAG website.
- The Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program provides need-based funding, to cover tuition and fees, for eligible DC residents pursuing their first undergraduate degree at a select public or private college or university in the DC metro area. Please visit osse.dc.gov/mayorsscholars for more information.
- Many community organizations within the District offer scholarships to adult learners. Please visit the following websites for more information:
- Public Allies
- Generation Hope Scholarships
- The Herb Block Foundation
- Tuition Assistance Program Initiative for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (TAPIT)
Institutional options
- Contact the financial aid office at your prospective school and request a full list of scholarships available. Talk to a financial aid counselor about how to find scholarships, fellowships, grants and other sources of free aid. The less you have to pay out of pocket and borrow, the better off you’ll be.
- Also, check with your academic advisors, as sometimes an academic college or department will offer scholarships.
Employers and organizational options
- Many employers and organizations offer tuition assistance and reimbursement; check with your human resources department.
STEP 2: GET ENROLLED
Make an appointment with an admissions officer to review enrollment information.
Complete the application process
- Be sure to mark application dates and deadlines on your calendar so you won’t miss them. Submit your admissions application and any separate department or program applications as early as possible, and well before any deadlines.
- If you have earned college credits from previous institutions, you will need to request your official transcripts from the office of the registrar of each college you have attended. The transcript must be mailed directly from the college you attended to the college you are applying to.
- Once you have been accepted, be sure to register for classes as soon as possible. Attend orientations and explore campus and community organizations. The more involved you become the more likely you are to succeed.
STEP 3: GET AN ADVISOR
- Many schools have special offices or advisors for adult students. These professionals can tell you what programs and services are specifically available, such as day care, career counseling and financial aid.
STEP 4: CHART YOUR COURSE
Work with academic advisors to design a class schedule that works for you.
- Whichever schedule option you choose, be sure to follow your degree plan.
- Generally, you should allow six hours of study per week for each three-credit-hour course.