How I Accidentally Graduated College at 68 Years Old

I never meant to wait that long. Someone recently asked me, “How long have you been working on your degree?” I responded, “Fifty years!” Laughter ensued. Yet, I had graduated high school in 1974. I took my first college course in 1988 when my first son was three months old while I was still on maternity leave from Prince George’s County Sheriff Department, where I was a full-time deputy in Maryland. I chose Introduction to Psycholgy. I had purchased the required textbook on campus prior to the class. I was already awake at dawn with a newborn and watched an hour and half lecture on public television twice a week and mailed in my assignments. They would be graded and later returned. The class was interesting but a little monotonous, primarily because there was no engagement. It would be my first and last college class for many years to come.

I would not step onto a college campus again until 2001, after I relocated to California. At that time, college credit cost only $11 dollars a unit, and most classes consisted of 3 units. Through the years, college tuition kept rising but so did my determination. I earned a 19-unit POST certified Forensic Identification Certificate at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, California. Half my classes were on campus, but online classes were gaining popularity. Although some may argue a student cannot learn as much online as they can in a traditional brick and mortar school, the opposite is actually true, as they require self-starters a to maintain a high degree of organization and self-discipline, without the distraction of other students, indoctrination and commuting.

I eventually completed 60 college credits which allowed me the minimum credits needed to attend Abraham Lincoln University School of Law, a non-ABA hybrid law school in Los Angeles for their four year program. After a successful year of Criminal Law, Contract Law and Torts, I decided to readjust my sails once again, quit school and became a private investigator. I continued taking community college classes over the years. After reviewing my transcripts, a counselor at Barstow College, the last junior college I attended, recommended I become a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Life continued to remain busy for many years to come and school once again took a hiatus, although the dream of finishing one day lingered.

One day in September 2023, I happened to stumble upon a YouTube channel called College Hacked hosted by Clifford Stumme PhD., a former UMPI instructor. By then, I had been retired for years, however completing a degree still intrigued me. The video focused on completing college the quickest way for busy adults by transferring as many college credits as possible to a university, then finishing the remaining credits required at that school. Some colleges like Purdue Global, University of Phoenix, and Liberty University even generate college credits for life experience. Various online universities were compared and contrasted, as well as different models for obtaining undergraduate ACE credits, which students could accrue for transfer credits. Best of all, an accredited college degree could be earned 100% online. I binge watched the entire channel. Dr. Stumme currently teaches at Liberty University.

I found a free website called Online Degree Forum mentioned in a video that helped me formulate a plan from others who had skillfully negotiated the twists and turns of online higher education most efficiently. Students also advise which classes to avoid at different colleges and classes that can be substituted. I decided to apply to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, all the way across the nation from California. First, I needed to beef up my transcripts to whittle down the classes, time, and money spent at UMPI to just ten mandatory residency classes. So in October 2023, I signed up with Sophia Learning for $99 a month to fulfill my goal.

Sophia offers discounts to first-time subscribers. Sophia even has free classes to try out first before you buy. Sophia is open-book, offers many classes and you can complete as many classes as you want. There were no proctors, or time limits on length of membershipnor are there grades; Sophia is pass/fail. Instructors offer feedback in some classes, such as Workplace Writing II. Finals are timed. You must obtain a minimum score of 70%, however most of my classes were in the high 90%. You can take practice exams and retake the final exam for better scores. Sophia offers free tutoring when needed. Some classes, like foreign languages, requires students to videotape themselves speaking the language. I chose the following classes, in the screenshot below.

When tallying up my credits, I came up short on essential core credits for science, math and foreign language. I was able to fulfill most of them from Sophia. One critical class I needed to take was a one-unit Human Biology laboratory. You may wonder how anyone can complete a lab online. It is like a video game. You control actions with your keyboard, answer questions, and write lab reports about your projects. Once you get the hang of it (I am not at all video game savvy), it was not bad. Although challenging, I cannot say it was not fun at times too. And, as in all my Sophia classes, I learned a lot. The classes literally opened my eyes to a whole new world. UMPI accepted all 16 college credits I transferred from Sophia via Credly.

UMPI, the acronymn the university is referred to, accepts 90 transfer units to go toward completing your degree. You can of course submit more, but only 90 of them will apply, as a minimum of 30 units have to be fulfilled at UMPI. I initially was contacted by an enrollment specialist, but found out later they were a third party entity, and was not necessary. You can go directly to UMPI’s online application and apply. It took several weeks to get back to me, so in the interim I continued with my Sophia classes. When all was said and done, I transferred 88 units to UMPI from multiple colleges and Sophia and UMPI accepted every one, even the ones I earned for my certificate. You will need to have a grand total of 120 credits for conferral.

I began UMPI’s “Spring I” eight-week term that began in January 2024, shortly after my 68th birthday. I chose their Bachelor of Liberal Studies program because it gave me the most electives, and flexibility with my transfers. Although I started off with their Educational Studies pathway in mind for three weeks, I found I really enjoyed a political science class I was enrolled in much better, so I switched minors and never looked back. I opted for two terms, at $1,500 dollars a term. UMPI offers other degrees too, but the BLS met my needs just fine.

A semester consists of two eight week terms, for a total of 16 weeks. After unprecedented student growth, the tuition recently increased to $1,700 dollars a term, still a bargain when compared with brick and mortar schools and most online academic programs. There is no extra out-of-state tuition. Students receive access to online classes and a wide assortment of bells and whistles like orientation, an university email account, Microsoft 365, Turnitin (plagarism detection software), the college library, tutoring, and other handy tools to facilitate you on your academic journey. You can even get a physical student ID card sent to your address. UMPI’s platform is called Brightspace. Please refer to the classes I chose from my screenshot below, including the final grades I received. The Special Topics classes I chose were Palestine-Israeli Conflict and History of Infectious Diseases.

Some of the many other perks of UMPI were receiving my grades in text messages and being able to access classes to read on a cellphone app called Brightspace Pulse. It connected directly to my classes and was conveniant to read during lull times such as waiting rooms, and from my parked vehicle. I joined a group for UMPI students on discord and it was very helpful. Check out reddit too. In addition, there is a Facebook page called Sophia/UMPI Advice Group that has a lot of good information on it.

What kind of university is UMPI? The University of Maine at Presque Isle is a small accredited college located in the northern part of Maine. It offers traditional classes on campus, but the online competency-based program has recently exploded in popularity. UMPI’s online program is called Your Pace. Be aware that UMPI’s online catalog is not the Your Pace catalog. You can access it through some of the sites aforementioned. Classes are self-paced but have deadlines at the end of the term. All your class materials will be found in your class. No textbooks are required. Although you can take only two classes at a time, they are self-paced so you may find you can finish them incredibly fast.

Each class has built-in modules within the class and each one must be successfully completed before going on to the next module. This requires submitting an essay. Expect lots of reading and writing. There are no finals at UMPI nor are there proctors. Classes are completed with a written essay or completed project. UMPI recommends students submit a draft of their final for feedback from the professor before submitting your final. Professors adhere to their syllabi and are typically responsive with suggestions for improvement. You will have access to a detailed grading rubric before each assignment.

If you follow the professor’s instructions, you will pass. However, you cannot receive below a ‘B’ at UMPI or the class must be repeated. Once you submit your final you can immediately contact your assigned academic success coach to enroll you in your next class before your grade has been returned. All you have to do is start your new class when you’re ready then await that coveted text, similar to the one in my screenshot.

I was able to complete six classes in one 8-week term and finished the additional residency classes needed for graduation in the next term. If you are an outlier and an overachiever like me, you will likely be able to complete 10 classes (or more) in one term. Many students complete their degree in two or three terms. Some students may take a year to complete their classes, depending on their academic requirements. That’s why UMPI’s program is called “Your Pace.” The time commitment will be as intense or relaxed as you choose. Remember, both the hare and the tortoise reach the same destination. That’s what’s so amazing about UMPI, it fits into your lifestyle, not the other way around.

I was elated to have made the Dean’s List, as well as graduate with top Latin honors of summa cum laude. This is a screenshot from my UMPI student record, although I received an embossed letter in the mail a few weeks later.

In addition, I took a free CLEP prep class from Modern States for English Composition. The English Comp CLEP exam actually fulfills two required core English classes, English 101 and 201, with a culmulative 6 ACE units, which UMPI accepts. Once you pass Modern States’ video series and exam, Modern States pays for your CLEP exam and even pays for remote proctoring if you choose not to go to a testing site for the two-hour exam. UMPI allows students to participate in the commencement ceremony if they have no more than 9 credits left to complete. In my case, I was able to submit microbiology at Sophia and my CLEP exam after commencement, which fulfilled my remaining credits needed for conferral.

UMPI students graduate every term but there is only one commencement a year, held in early May. Students can elect to travel at their expense to Presque Isle, Maine, to join in with other graduating students or decide to participate in a virtual graduation ceremony, about a month later. I chose the latter but watched both the live commencment and the virtual one from beginning to end. We were the largest graduating class UMPI has had in its history and the majority were online students. You could say there was not a dry eye in my home.

I became enamoured with UMPI school spirit. I bought myself an inexpensive class ring on etsy, in addition to ordering my graduation regalia from amazon. I purchased a blue cap and gown first, UMPI’s school colors, before discovering graduates wore black, thus the difference in my graduation photos. Because I am a tribal citizen, the Cherokee Nation sent me a very nice graduation stole emblazoned with Cherokee syllabry and a congratulatory letter from Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. My husband took my graduation photos on a hot California day in April under palm trees. Sorry, but there are no palm trees in Maine. California’s mountains do receive snow, however.

There is a national honor society exclusively for online students with a 3.2 GPA and above, called Omega Nu Lambda, Kappa Chapter for undergraduate and graduate students taking a minimum of 15 credits. UMPI does not currently have a chapter, like Liberty University, but if you qualify you can apply on the ONL Global website with an unofficial UMPI transcript for an invitation. You know I just had to.

What a glorious summer day it was when I was notified by UMPI that my Bachelor’s Degree had been conferred and I was an official alumnus! My Parchment degree arrived a few weeks later and is proudly displayed on my wall, near a framed shadowbox of my graduation cap and gown, tassel, honor cords and Cherokee Nation graduation stole.

Many thanks for my husband’s much appreciated encouragement and support through the process. John earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Science at Cal Poly Pomona several decades ago way before online learning was a possibility but still fondly recalled the trials and triumphs of academia. We are both first generation graduates in our families since we have no direct ascendents in our family trees that graduated from college.

I highly recommend adults who wish to finish their degree follow my pathway or modify it to meet your personal needs, no matter how old you are. The minimum age UMPI accepts is twenty years old and UMPI accepts international students. I found it a very good way to exercise my mind and it opened up renewed interests in history and political science. Although my degree was for personal enrichment, I do not regret one minute I spent pursuing it.

In summation, UMPI was a great bargain for me both time-wise and finacially compared to other universities in my local area. UMPI charges no mandatory application fees, student union fees, health center fees, student success fees, textbooks or other traditional fees often associated with matriculation. You won’t have to worry about a commute because your computer is your destination. While every university is America offers online classes, you will be hard-pressed to find one as streamlined and affordable as UMPI.

Do I plan to go for my Master’s? I am still researching my options but you can be assured I won’t be waiting another 50 years. UMPI offers a Master’s Degree program but at this time it is limited to business. UMPI graduates report their successes in being accepted into Masters and Doctorate programs, ABA law schools and medical schools nationwide.

Bonus tip! If you’re considering the latter, Baltimore-based Johns Hopkin University School of Medicine currently offers free tuition and living expenses to medical students making an income under $300K, thanks to a billion dollar donation by media titan Mike Bloomberg.

UMPI graduates sing the praises of UMPI because their degree qualified them to pursue new careers, or increased their salaries at their present job. There is no doubt a college degree will open new doors otherwise closed to undergraduates without one. UMPI has sent me surveys since graduation asking about my student experience because they are always striving to improve. There are already big plans in the works to expand their undergraduate and masters’ programs. Whether for profit or for fun, you may decide an academic challenge at UMPI is just what you needed all along, just like I did. Go Owls!

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