Hidden Voices: Insights of Undergraduate Adult Learners Attending a Historically Black College and University

In recent years, the number of adult learners entering higher education has surpassed that of traditional students. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been recognized for their role in educating adult learners from underserved and marginalized groups and populations. Despite this reality, most research on Black undergraduate adult learners at HBCUs focuses solely on their gender, with little attention to their broader institutional experiences. Guided by Malcolm Knowles’ adult learning theory, this qualitative phenomenological research study explored the attitudes and experiences of adult learners pursuing an undergraduate degree at a public four-year HBCU in the Mid-Atlantic region. Thematic analysis from interviews with 17 adult learners revealed four major themes: resource equity exclusion, professional credit knowledge, classroom inclusion/exclusion, and unique identities/needs. Results showed that adult learner characteristics in this study support Knowles’ four principles of andragogy. The HBCU in this study provided respondents with positive experiences; however, results revealed inconsistencies in their shared experiences about knowledge, services, or provisions for adult learners. The implications of these findings for HBCUs are significant, as they provide a roadmap for understanding how institutional logic and organizational culture may hinder the inclusion and visibility of undergraduate adult learners at four-year institutions.