Non-Traditional student is a category of students at colleges and universities in North America and usually involves age and social characteristics. Non-traditional students are contrasted with traditional students.

The United States Department of Education estimated that 73% of all undergraduates in the United States attending accredited institutions in 1999–2000 had one or more nontraditional characteristics.

Definition and history

It is uncertain exactly how or when the term “nontraditional student” was first incorporated into educational language. However, it is thought that K. Patricia Cross is responsible for the phrase becoming the accepted and appropriate term to describe adult students. In the United States, gender was a defining characteristic of nontraditional students, with women (particularly older women) being viewed as unusual; but gender is no longer a defining characteristic of nontraditional students in the United States due to women making up most of the college population and the decline of male students. Most studies also agree that part-time students are nontraditional, but there is disagreement in literature.

The NCES divides tertiary educational institutions into three categories: public, private-non-profit, and private-for-profit (PFP). With regard to the age demographic of students enrolled in these institutions, the NCES uses three age categories: under 25, between 25 and 34, and 35 and older. According to its most recent publication, in a section called The Condition of Education 2013,"most nontraditional students are enrolled in PFP’s. In fact, for the fall enrollment in 2011, in four-year PFP institutions 71% full-time and 78% part-time students were at least 25 years old or older. In two-year PFP institutions, 52% full-time and 61% part-time students were also included in this 'nontraditional' category."

Special characteristics

Nontraditional students frequently have different characteristics than traditional students, experience different barriers, and have different instructional and campus support needs than traditional students.

While many institutions offer programs for nontraditional students and services in response to their specific needs, it is frequently observed that traditional higher education programs and policies are geared toward, and the outcome of, the previous era when traditional students were the main market for higher education. Institutional barriers most frequently identified in research include difficulty obtaining financial support, negative attitudes toward adult learners, a general lack of resources at times and places suitable to adult learners, and recognition of prior learning and academic credentials.

Situational barriers most frequently experienced by adult nontraditional students typically include managing multiple conflicting responsibilities in addition to their studies (e.g., life and work responsibilities and roles), financial problems and limited financial aid options for nontraditional students, lack of adequate and affordable childcare services, and lack of support from others.

See also

  • Adult education
  • Adult learner (known as "mature student" in the UK)
  • Alpha Sigma Lambda
  • Continuing education
  • First-generation college students in the United States

References

Further reading

  • Chao, E. L., DeRocco, E. S., & Flynn, M. K. (2007). Adult Learners in Higher Education: Barriers to Success and Strategies to Improve Results (Employment and Training Administration Occasional Paper 2007-03). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Accessed at http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497801.pdf
  • Donaldson, J. F., & Townsend, B. K. (2007). Higher Education Journals' Discourse about Adult Undergraduate Students. The Journal of Higher Education, 78(1), 27-50.
  • Kasworm, C. E. (1990). Adult Undergraduates in Higher Education: A Review of Past Research Perspectives. Review of Educational Research, 60(3), 345-372.
  • Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2011). Research on Adult Learners: Supporting the Needs of a Student Population that is No Longer Nontraditional. Peer Review, 13(1), 26. Accessed at https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/research-adult-learners-supporting-needs-student-population-no
  • Yesterday's Nontraditional Student is Today's Traditional Student . Center for Law and Social Policy, June 29, 2011.