Just because you dropped out of college doesn’t mean you can’t still go back and finish your degree – even if it’s been a few years since you were last in school. In fact, returning adult students tend to take their studies more seriously than fresh high school graduates. This fact has appreciable practical evidence behind it.

You may have found college overwhelming the first time around, but you can absolutely nail it on a second try. So, no need to feel shy to rejoin, just go for it as soon as possible.

But how do you go back to college after you’ve dropped out?

If you have some completed credits, you don’t need to start over from day one – you can apply as a transfer student. Whether you return as a transfer student or a new student, you need to remain focused on your reason for wanting to return to school. Make school more manageable by attending classes online or going part-time, and handle the financial aspect with student loans, grants, scholarships, and perhaps even tuition reimbursement from your employer.

Transfer as Many Credits as You Can

If you dropped out in your first semester of college, you probably didn’t earn any credits to carry over to your new school – unless you took advanced placement courses in high school. But if you completed at least some classes, you may have transfer credits that you can put towards your degree progress at another institution, so you don’t have to start from scratch earning your degree.

Before you apply for a school, find out what their requirements for transfer students are. Each school has its own rules regarding how many credits and what grades you must have earned in order to be considered for admission as a transfer student. Keep in mind that if you’re an older student with work experience, you can get credits for work and life experience at many universities. Contact any colleges or universities of interest to you and ask whether they can take your experience into account in the admissions process.

Remember Your Motivation for Returning

Your “why” for returning is going to be the thing that keeps you going in your darkest moments at school, those times when you’re struggling to balance everything, perhaps not earning the grades you’d like, and considering giving up again. Maybe you want to return to school because when you dropped out you promised yourself that you’d come back and finish someday. Maybe you want more opportunities to advance your career, or to change your career entirely. Maybe you want to be the first in your family to finish college. Maybe you want to earn more to give your children a better life. Whatever your reasons, keep them front and center in your mind as you complete your education. Just think your motivation and reasoning through in the right way and your instinct will tell you the right thing to do.

Try an Online Program

Going back to college as an adult can be challenging because, as we get older, we tend to accumulate more responsibilities. You probably have a full-time job now and rent to pay, and your parents may be less inclined to help you now that you’ve been a self-sufficient adult for some time. Maybe you have kids to take care of, a spouse to think of, and a mortgage to pay. We all have domestic responsibilities to take into consideration but do not be afraid to ask others for support as you may be surprised by the results.

Going back to school online can make it easier to fit earning a degree into your schedule. You can earn, for example, a bachelor’s degree in psychology online without ever setting foot on a college campus. That means you can attend a college far from home without moving, and take your classes at the time of day and in the place that works best for you. You should think through whether studying online is right for you and do your research on suitable courses as, without the constraints of geography, there will be many more options available to you.

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Go Back to School Part-Time

Most students choose to return to college part-time in the beginning to ease back into the swing of student life. This is because over the months or years, they have by now got other responsibilities in their life. You may want to continue attending part-time throughout your degree, just so you can better balance the demands of your job, family, and other commitments. Depending on how many credits you’re able to transfer, it still might not take you very long to complete a degree part-time.

Fill Out the FAFSA

If you are in the US, you should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) even if you don’t think you’re eligible for aid or weren’t eligible for aid when you went to college the first time. Your financial situation may have changed significantly, especially if you’re now old enough to be financially independent from your parents for financial aid purposes (so, over the age of 24). You may qualify for more aid than you realize. However, it is worth mentioning here that this facility stands only for the US college dropouts. If you don’t fall into this category, you may have your own diverse choices. Different countries offer different packages of student support in this respect.

Get Tuition Reimbursement from Your Employer

If your employer offers tuition reimbursement, you should take full advantage of it. In the US, you can get up to $5,250 of tuition expenses reimbursed per year through an employer-sponsored tuition reimbursement plan. That can really cut down on tuition costs. But bear in mind again, that this is only relevant to students in the US and you should carefully research what options are available to you in your home country.

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Are you a college dropout? If so, it is never too late to go back and finish your degree. Re-enroll in college today – a better life is closer than you think. You will feel much more confident in your practical approach in daily life once you have secured your pending-degree through hard work.

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