Most students in adult, continuing education, and professional programs at American colleges and universities rely on personal savings and employer-provided tuition assistance to pay for their education, according to a new report based on a survey of 25,000 current and prospective students. Of those surveyed, 50 percent said they used or planned to use cash and nearly half (48 percent) said they used or planned to use tuition assistance to pay for at least part of their college courses, while about a quarter identified federal student loans (28 percent) and scholarships (22 percent) as financial resources. Responses in those categories overlap because most of the respondents used at least two financial sources. The findings indicate that institutions interested in recruiting continuing education and professional students need to move beyond the traditional formula of grants, loans and scholarships used to help traditional-age students pay for college, said Sean R. Gallagher, a program director and senior analyst at Eduventures Inc., the research and consulting firm that produced the report. The study further revealed that workers in the utilities, manufacturing, and mining industries were the most likely to have employer-provided tuition assistance, while those in retail; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and accommodations and food services were least likely to receive tuition assistance. By field of study, students in subjects related to engineering, transportation, or business were the most likely to receive employer assistance.