Getting adults back into the classroom can be difficult. Many of life challenges can get in the way of finishing off or getting a degree. The state is looking to ease that burden through funding for community college programs aimed at helping people who are over 25.

At age 27, Parsram Pernanand loves learning, but he didn't always feel that way about school.

“I actually came (to college) in 2015. I dropped out. I actually told people and told myself that school wasn't for me, that I'm not a person for education," said Pernanand, a student at SUNY Schenectady County Community College.

He’s studying business administration. According to SUNY officials, one-third of all students in higher education are adult learners like Pernanand.

“An educated society's always better... But on a more micro level, we're providing opportunities for people to come complete degrees, get certifications so that they become more employable or promotable," says Mark Meachem, vice president of academic affairs at SUNY Schenectady. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced more than $1 million in grants for 22 community colleges statewide to support adult learners, looking to help remove barriers for adults trying to access and complete degree programs.

Pernanand said the barriers are different when you’re an adult as compared to younger students. 

“Not that they might not have a job, but they don’t have as many of the responsibilities. When it comes to classes or discussion classes, or getting stuff done, they have a lot of room. There’s a lot of time. There’s more time in their schedule. Whereas, like, if you’re an adult, usually, a lot of times, you’re a single parent. For myself, personally, I have my personal life, I have my job. I also have my personal training," Pernanand said.

SUNY Schenectady will be using some of the funding to expand library and tutoring hours to accommodate more adult schedules. The school also plans to increase the opportunity for what it calls high-flex classrooms, where students can be online or in person.

“One of the major challenges adults face is finding time, and that is probably the biggest difficulty for them between work, between family, between other errands they have, to go on trying to find time. And so we need to provide that flexibility for them so that they can learn in an atmosphere that works with their schedule," Meachem said.