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Whether motivated by a pure thirst for learning or by a lifelong dream of getting a degree, increasing numbers of older Americans are pursuing knowledge in its most intense form: they are returning to college. Faced with declining enrollments, schools are embracing this trend, offering tantalizing inducements to older students.

Reduced tuition. More than a thousand colleges across the country either offer reduced fees or waive tuition completely for people over sixty provided there is space in the classes they want to attend. For instance, fee reduction or no charge to elderly students is now standard at many public (state) universities across the country because over half of the state legislatures, who control the state university system, have enacted such laws.

Special programs or courses. According to a 1985 survey by the American Association of Retired Persons, about 120 colleges across the country have modified their offerings to suit the needs of older students, setting up full-blown programs for “retired professionals” or “senior citizens.” The most comprehensive ones often include a special curriculum, offer transportation to campus, and provide counseling to help older students adjust to college life.

Some of these programs are completely age segregated. Students take courses only with their own group. Others offer a graduated entry into college life. Students begin by taking special courses and then, when they feel comfortable, begin taking the standard offerings at the school. In yet a third variety students in the program are not segregated at all but are given extensive counseling and help with negotiating college life.

Enrolling in a program of this type offers distinct advantages: being buffered from the bewildering job of registering, choosing courses, and finding your way alone, getting your feet wet academically with people your age; having a built-in chance to make friends. There is often a strong sense of camaraderie among the people who attend these “colleges for retirees.”

To find out whether such a program exists in your community, call the admissions office of every nearby college and inquire. Community colleges – because they see their main constituency as adult learners – are likely to be your best bet. State colleges and universities rank second. Special offerings are least likely to be found at private liberal arts colleges. Your local office of the aging should also have information about college programs in your area.

If you want to return to college but cannot find a program of this type, do not be put off. Many college professors are delighted to have older students. Imagine the relief of teaching people who are motivated by a love of learning and whose life experience can add depth to class discussions. By being one of the few gray-haired students on campus, you help enlighten others. Your presence belies the myth that older people are ill and incapable. And in my experience, you are unlikely to be seen as an interloper. Students tend to admire people who after a full working life have the courage and motivation to make a commitment of this magnitude.

You may also be pleasantly surprised about yourself. Studies show that when older people take college courses they tend to get better than average grades, even though many are frightened when they begin – afraid their intellectual abilities won’t measure up.

However, having a good experience depends on choosing your college and courses carefully. Don’t get in over your head; start out slowly so you can gain confidence. Select high-quality courses and, more important, stimulating professors. Since at this time of life you are liberated from the career consequences of not getting A’s, concentrate on having the most intellectually interesting experience you can.

But because you will be such a visible minority in any typical undergraduate institution, be especially sensitive to what the majority wants. You will be seen as an intruder if you talk incessantly or act as if you know it all. If you are auditing courses, understand that your mission is different from that of your fellow students. They are vitally interested in their grades, not just in learning for its own sake. They will not take kindly to your debating fine points with the professor the week before an exam.

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Once the need becomes obvious, have your relative participate in the decision making and plans – if possible, visiting prospective homes and making the final decision about where to go (when the person is competent to do so). Many families wait until the last minute to break the news, reasoning: “What possible good would the extra months of worry do Mom?” However, consider the pitfalls of waiting: you increase the shock of the move by adding the element of surprise; you add the pain of betrayal. The truth is you have been “putting one over,” plotting behind the person’s back. And you rob the elderly person of any chance of control.

Even if your relative has no choice about where to go, breaking the news as soon as possible means choices can be made around the decision. Your mother may be able to arrange to keep her doctor or have her long-standing attendant be there for the first few weeks to make the transition less difficult (it may be psychologically worth the extra expense). She may be able to choose her room or floor, arrange what belongings to take, decide who will come when moving day arrives. Be guided by your knowledge of your relative in following this advice, but also be aware of the research on learned helplessness. In this difficult situation, enhancing control can be lifesaving.

A main fear about nursing homes is the terror of being abandoned, left alone and unloved in an alien place. So as moving day draws near and in the first few weeks, have family and friends make a special effort to rally around. Unless you find that visiting is deeply upsetting, take pains to show your family member you are there. And be as involved as you can for as long as you can.

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GENERAL HEALTH