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Does the thought of higher education fill you with gratitude and excitement or, is it more like fear and uncertainty? Each person’s path to higher education is unique and often filled with twists, turns, and roadblocks they didn’t anticipate.
Some individuals might choose not to pursue higher education due to a lack of time or money, age, family circumstances, or any number of other reasons. Because of these challenges, many adults see more immediate value in working rather than going to school. In fact, according to the Pell Institute Data for College Completion, the college-completion rate in the United States is only 43%.
BYU-Pathway Worldwide was designed to help individuals overcome a variety of challenges by providing access to low-cost, flexible, higher education throughout the world. It is transforming higher education through its PathwayConnect program and certificate-first approach to online certificates and degrees, which allows students to immediately gain marketable skills right from the start. So students looking to start or return to college can follow an affordable, supported, spiritually-focused path to a quality higher education.
There’s just no other program that I’ve ever seen that has the support for returning students. ... I had spent my whole life telling myself I couldn’t do it, and then I went and did it.
Wendy White, 44, a graduate from Idaho, said, “There’s just no other program that I’ve ever seen that has the support for returning students. If I had to go from not going to college for 20 years straight into a hardcore college program, I don’t think I would’ve had the confidence to get through it. I had spent my whole life telling myself I couldn’t do it, and then I went and did it.”
Start or return to your educational path
Working up the courage to get a college education can be scary. BYU-Pathway Worldwide’s PathwayConnect program was created specifically to help people start or return to university studies with almost no barriers to entry. Over the span of one year (three semesters), students complete coursework online, take religion or institute courses, and also gather once a week — either face-to-face or virtually — with other students.
This flexible program allows students to fit online courses around their schedule, provides university-level classes at a low cost, and is held in a spiritual environment focused on Jesus Christ. And all courses count toward a bachelor’s degree.
Ashley Ostheimer, a single mother, found herself needing to go back to school to better support her three children. “Spending a year in PathwayConnect is one of the best investments I have made for my future,” she said. “I would encourage anyone who wants a better job to return to school, or who just needs a direction in their life to seriously consider investing in the one-year program.”
In an effort to make education available to as many people as possible, PathwayConnect admission requirements are simple — no high school diploma, and no ACT/SAT score — and costs are low. Students participating in the program earn up to 16 credits at just $73 per credit that can later be applied toward a BYU-Idaho online certificate or degree, serviced and supported by BYU-Pathway Worldwide. (Tuition rates vary by country.)
Start or return to your educational path
Earning an education often takes a lot of time, effort, and money — all things that might not seem like great sacrifices when someone could start working now, earning money and climbing the career ladder immediately.
Additionally, most degree programs don’t become valuable until a student’s senior year and many of the students who don’t complete college drop out within their first year. These students will never get to that last year when their most valuable career-focused courses are taught. But BYU-Pathway Worldwide is striving to provide a solution.
Instead of the traditional university degree model that begins with general education courses, BYU-Pathway Worldwide requires students to take courses in their desired field of study right from the start through its certificate-first approach.
“By accelerating the certificate into the first year of the degree,” said Clark G. Gilbert, president of BYU-Pathway Worldwide, “students not only get job-relevant skill training and higher employability prospects but the odds that they keep going on to complete their bachelor’s degree go up.”
In fact, the rate of students who persist in their education after completing PathwayConnect and continue on to an online certificate and degree program is 65%. Once they earn a certificate, the rate jumps to 89%.
Certificates can be completed in one year or less and stack into associate and bachelor’s degrees, helping students experience the value of their education immediately as they develop job skills and lay the foundation for a degree. Additionally, each credit counts toward a degree, so no coursework or credits are wasted.
This approach not only helps students earn a bachelor’s degree, but three certificates, an associate degree, and numerous employable skills along the way — all for the same time and money as it would’ve taken just to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Like so many students who pray for improved employment opportunities, Raul Hidalgo struggled to find steady work. After completing the one-year PathwayConnect program, he immediately began pursuing certificates that would lead to better employment.
“I received several promotions at my work,” he said. “I have been promoted again and again, and I am now studying to become a judge — something I always dreamed of doing!” Raul not only earned a bachelor’s degree in business management but also an associate degree and two certificates.
BYU-Pathway Worldwide offers nearly 40 online certificates and degrees, developed and accredited through BYU-Idaho, and has chosen to only offer applicable certificates and degrees in high demand by employers. After earning their first job-ready certificate, 70% of BYU-Pathway students increase their earning potential and are 41% more likely to continue toward their bachelor’s degree. The courses are skill-based so the certificates connect directly to potential careers and increase employability.
Regardless of someone’s path to education, BYU-Pathway Worldwide’s PathwayConnect program and certificate-first approach to online degrees is flexible, low in cost, and a simple way to step onto the path. To learn more about BYU-Pathway Worldwide, visit byupathway.org.
