The following study was conducted with five adult learners who returned tocomplete an undergraduate degree after stopping or dropping out of college as traditional students. Basic interpretive inquiry was used to find themes in their stories to understand their experiences as traditional students that led to their departure, their reasons for returning to finish their degrees and their experiences as a returning adult learner. Each participant shared his or her experiences during a 90-minute interview process. The interviews were transcribed and themes were developed from the participant’s responses. From the interviews, the researcher gained a better understanding of the adult learner experiences. These findings were connected the conceptual frameworks for Schlossberg’s transition theory and Knowles’ andragogy. While the responsibilities for most of the participants as adult learners differed little from when they were traditional students, their motivation for attending had shifted from extrinsic to intrinsic. Additionally, as adult learners, the participants focused on the age difference between them and their peers and how that would impact their experience and sense of belonging. While institutional challenges existed like policies around transfer credit, course offerings and a lack of clear support structures specific to adult learners, the voice of faculty speaking encouragement to the participants made a significant impact on their experiences as students. Based on these research findings, it is recommended that additional research be conducted on traditional age students with adult learner responsibilities, on the population of students who know they must take breaks in education and leave with a plan to return, and the experiences of faculty teaching adult learners. Keywords: Education, Higher; Adult education; Dissertations, Academic--United States; 4-year degree; Adult students; Degree Completion; Non-traditional student; Stop Out