Working Hispanic and Latino adults looking to start or finish a university education should look into five factors before they enroll: whether their existing credits transfer, whether the class schedule fits their workweek, what support the school offers outside the classroom, how they will cover costs beyond federal aid, and whether the degree leads to a career they want to pursue. National University, the San Diego-based, Veteran-founded nonprofit, has served working adults since 1971 and built its model around those five factors. Excelencia in Education’s July 2026 Latino College Completion compilation found that 29% of Latino adults hold an associate degree or higher, compared with 45% of all adults. Closing that gap takes a university built to fit around a full workweek and a family.
“Many of National University’s students are balancing college with work, family, and other responsibilities. They come to us with a clear goal of earning a degree, and we understand that life doesn’t stop because they’re in school,” said J.B. Robinson, PhD, dean of students at National University. “That’s why National University focuses on supporting the whole student, offering flexible learning options and resources designed to help nontraditional students stay on track, persist, and reach their educational goals.”
Why is finishing a degree harder than going back to school?
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s 2025 report found that Hispanic adults who stopped out re-enrolled at a rate comparable to or higher than their white peers, 6.5% compared with 5.6% in the 2023-24 academic year. The same report found that after re-enrolling, Hispanic students persist into a second year and earn credentials at lower rates than their white and Asian peers.
For Latino and Hispanic adults returning to college, support that carries them through the second year and on to graduation is as important as re-enrollment.
Will the credits you already earned count?
Prior college credit changes both the time and the coursework a degree requires. Before applying, ask the university to evaluate the credits you have earned and explain which ones apply to the program you have selected. A credit can transfer to the institution without satisfying a specific major requirement, so ask about both.
For students who started at a community college, an agreement between the two schools can decide how much of that coursework carries over. Find out whether the university has an agreement with your community college and what it guarantees. For instance, National University runs a statewide transfer pathway with the California Community Colleges. The pathway guarantees admission to eligible students who complete an Associate Degree for Transfer in a related major and lets them keep their earned credits. In North Texas, a renewed and expanded partnership with Dallas College guarantees admission to National University for eligible students who complete an associate degree or core transfer curriculum and lets them transfer up to 60 credits.
If you have already invested time in college, get a written evaluation of how that coursework applies before you make your enrollment decision.
How do four-week and eight-week courses fit a full-time job schedule?
For working students who want a flexible schedule, these questions can help clarify what each university offers:
- How long does each course run?
- How many courses will I take at the same time?
- Are courses online, on campus or both?
- How often do new classes start?
- Are there required in-person components?
- If my job or family schedule changes, who helps me adjust my plan?
National University offers four-week and eight-week classes across more than 150 online and on-campus programs, and approximately 80% of its students take the majority of their classes online. Taking fewer courses at a time leaves room for work and family. Because the right format depends on the learner, estimate your real weekly time commitment before you enroll.
What student support services help working adults stay enrolled?
Before enrolling, adult learners can find out how a university helps in four common situations:
- A changing work schedule: If your hours shift mid-term, ask whether you can adjust your course load or pause your enrollment without losing progress.
- Child care: Student parents can ask whether the university offers child care or family support resources, and where they are located.
- Returning after years away: Advisors and academic coaches can help you adjust to coursework and new systems, so confirm who provides that help and how to reach them.
- No quiet place to study at home: Ask whether the university provides study space and technology access, including for students without reliable internet.
National University built its Whole Human Education™ model on three pillars: Learning, Support and Value. The Nest, the university’s student support hub, brings several forms of support into one place. The Nest at Escondido, the university’s second Nest location, opened in September 2026 within the Escondido YMCA’s Campus for Community Well-Being and serves students across North San Diego County. It offers space to study and attend classes, access to advisors and technology, an on-site childcare through the YMCA of San Diego County.
What does Hispanic-Serving Institution status tell you?
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) defines a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) as a nonprofit, degree-granting institution where Hispanic students make up at least 25% of full-time-equivalent undergraduate enrollment. The institution must also meet additional criteria. National University appears on HACU’s 2024-25 list of Hispanic-Serving Institutions and is recognized by HACU and Excelencia in Education for its work with Hispanic and working students. The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) accredits National University.
Because HSI status reflects enrollment, students can use it as a starting point and then ask about the specific support available:
- Are advising and career services designed for working adults?
- What support exists for first-generation students?
- Are there institutional scholarships relevant to my situation?
- Is there a clear transfer pathway?
- Can I reach support if I study mostly online?
- Who do I contact when I need help?
How will you cover the cost beyond federal aid?
Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), then look at institutional scholarships, grants, employer tuition assistance, and other benefits. Scholarships set different rules for financial need, academic standing, application and enrollment deadlines, eligible programs, other tuition assistance, and how the university applies the award.
National University’s 2026 Nuevo Futuro Scholarship is a need-based institutional scholarship for new, eligible bachelor’s and master’s degree students. Under the published 2026 terms, applicants complete the FAFSA first and submit the scholarship application by Dec. 31, 2026. Requirements and deadlines change from year to year, so review the current terms when you apply.
If your employer offers tuition assistance, ask the financial aid office how it applies that benefit alongside scholarships. Some scholarships limit eligibility when other sources already cover full tuition.
What career does the degree lead to?
A degree is easier to finish when the career at the end of it is clear. Find out which careers the program’s graduates typically enter and whether those careers require a license or certification. If they do, confirm the program meets the academic requirements for that license. For programs with internships, field placements, or clinical hours, find out whether you can complete them around your work schedule.
National University is one of 479 institutions, roughly 16% of classified institutions nationwide, to earn the Carnegie Opportunity Colleges and Universities designation for Higher Access, Higher Earnings. Students can use the designation as a starting point, then compare the specific program, schedule, and career path against their own goals.
Five questions to answer before you enroll
1. How much of my completed coursework will count?
Request a written transfer evaluation that shows how your prior coursework applies to your specific degree.
2. What will a normal academic week require?
Ask about course length, how many courses run at once, start dates, and in-person requirements.
3. What happens when life interrupts the plan?
Find out who helps with academic planning, career questions, childcare, and other support needs.
4. What will I actually pay?
Complete the FAFSA form, review institutional aid and employer benefits, and read the rules on how the different forms of assistance work together.
5. Does this program lead where I want to go?
Confirm career pathways, licensing requirements, and any field placements the degree requires.
Common mistakes that stall adult learners
- Choosing on convenience alone: A program that is easy to start can still be hard to finish. Compare the support structure as carefully as the course format.
- Assuming every transfer credit applies to the major: A university may accept a credit but count it as an elective rather than a class that goes toward your degree, so confirm where each one lands in your degree plan.
- Reading the scholarship headline instead of the terms: Deadlines, FAFSA requirements, existing tuition assistance, and academic standards all affect eligibility. Understand the full terms before you apply.
- Treating a designation as a guarantee: Designations such as HSI status describe the institution as a whole, so confirm what support the university offers for your situation and whom to call if you encounter any issues.
- Waiting until after enrollment to map the schedule: Weigh the academic commitment against work and family hours before you choose a start date and bring family into the decision early so they can help plan around it.
Where National University fits
National University serves 130,000 learners a year, including 50,000 degree-seeking students and 80,000 workforce and professional development students. The university calls these learners ANDers™: professionals AND parents AND students at the same time. Many Hispanic and Latino adults balance a job and family responsibilities while they study, and National University built its model around that reality.
A working adult deciding whether National University is the right fit can use the following points to evaluate the institution:
| Decision point | What National University offers |
| Prior credit | More than 80% of undergraduates are transfer students. A statewide transfer pathway with the California Community Colleges guarantees admission with junior standing to students who complete a qualifying Associate Degree for Transfer, and a renewed partnership with Dallas College serves students in North Texas |
| Schedule | Four-week and eight-week classes across more than 150 online and on-campus programs |
| Support | Whole Human Education built on Learning, Support and Value; The Nest locations, with academic coaching, study space, career development and child care through the YMCA of San Diego County |
| Cost | Federal aid through the FAFSA plus institutional aid, including the need-based Nuevo Futuro Scholarship for new, eligible students |
| Career | Programs across education, psychology and social sciences, health professions, business, technology, law and public service; career services for enrolled students; Carnegie Opportunity Colleges and Universities designation |
Each student brings different credits, work hours, and family commitments to a university. The strongest choice gives a student the clearest way to use the work they have already done, fit school into the life they already have, and keep moving toward the outcome they want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compare universities on five points: how your existing credits transfer and apply to the major, how long courses run and how many you take at once, what support the school offers outside of class, how scholarships and employer benefits cover costs beyond federal aid, and which careers the program leads to.
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) defines a Hispanic-Serving Institution as a nonprofit, degree-granting college or university where Hispanic students make up at least 25% of full-time-equivalent undergraduate enrollment. Because the designation reflects enrollment, students should also look at the specific support each school offers.
National University appears on HACU’s 2024-25 list of Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Excelencia in Education recognizes the university for its work with Hispanic and working students. Prospective students should still evaluate the academic, financial and support resources that fit their own needs.
Yes. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that more than 1 million adults who had stopped out re-enrolled in the 2023-24 academic year. Request transcripts from every school you attended and ask for a transfer evaluation. More than 80% of National University undergraduates are transfer students, so returning with prior credit is the norm.
Yes, at many universities, and the terms depend on the agreement between the two schools. National University’s statewide pathway with the California Community Colleges guarantees admission to students who complete an associate degree for transfer in a related major, lets them keep their earned credits and places them at junior standing. In North Texas, National University’s renewed and expanded partnership with Dallas College guarantees admission to eligible students who complete an associate degree or core transfer curriculum.
Yes. Institutional scholarships vary by university and by year. National University’s 2026 Nuevo Futuro Scholarship is a need-based scholarship for new, eligible students pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree; applicants complete the FAFSA form first and submit the scholarship application by Dec. 31, 2026. Review the current terms before you apply.
Yes. National University offers four-week and eight-week classes across more than 150 online and on-campus programs so students can take fewer courses at a time while they work or manage busy schedules.
