Seizing the Moment: Post-COVID-19 Enrollment Trends Among Nontraditional Honors Students

Authors

Solomon Aleph, Portland State UniversityFollow

Subjects

Adult college students, University Honors College (Portland State University), COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-2023) -- Social aspects, College enrollment, Motivation in adult education

Abstract

This article investigates the motivations behind the rising enrollment of nontraditional students at Portland State University’s Honors College, which nearly doubled from 2019 to 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Aleph argues that nontraditional students viewed education as a means of reclaiming agency and reshaping their futures. Through interviews and a focus group with four nontraditional students, Aleph explores how the pandemic created disruption and opportunities. The study finds that while economic instability and isolation were factors, intrinsic motivations—especially a desire for self-improvement, intellectual challenge, and rewriting personal narratives—were more prominent factors shaping enrollment decisions. Drawing from this qualitative analysis, Aleph concludes that the pandemic was not only an economic and social crisis, but also a transformative catalyst for nontraditional students re-entering academic life.

DOI

10.15760/anthos.2025.14.1.14

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43935

Recommended Citation

Aleph, Solomon (2025) "Seizing the Moment: Post-COVID-19 Enrollment Trends Among Nontraditional Honors Students," Anthós: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 14.
https://doi.org/10.15760/anthos.2025.14.1.14