1. Get credit for what you have done
Prior coursework, military training, professional certifications, and documented workplace learning can all become credit and can shorten the degree substantially. Start with the Registrar and the adult-learner adviser before assuming you are starting from zero.
2. Choose a format that fits
Look at part-time enrollment, evening and weekend sections, online programs, and how each interacts with financial aid. Take a lighter first term and use the writing and math support centers early — they see many returning students.
3. Handle the logistics
Childcare, employer tuition assistance, the catalog-year and academic-renewal policies if you attended before, and scholarships for returning and part-time students. The adult and returning student office keeps this list.
Start here
Who to talk to
Adult & Nontraditional Student Services
Founders Union 125 · (715) 555–0140 · adultlearners@uwporterfalls.edu
For anything not listed, the full directory has every office.
Common questions
Is it too late?
No. Adult learners tend to earn higher grades — clear purpose and real-world context help. The most common regret students report is having waited.
Will my old credits still count?
Recent coursework usually transfers; very old courses may not, and some programs have time limits on major courses. An adviser will tell you exactly.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. The offices, steps, dates, and contacts described here are invented; nothing on this page is a real process you can complete.