The Sandspur

Issue date: 9/4/06 Section: Holt News

Media Credit: Dani Picard Cost Per College Course at three universities

The current undergraduate demographic is significantly different than in previous generations. "Re-entry students," "adult students," "returning students," "adult learners," or the more popular moniker, non-traditional students, are more common on college campuses. In 2000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 73% of higher education students were considered non-traditional students.

There are numerous characteristics of a non-traditional student. The NCES defines non-traditional students as one who has any of the following characteristics: delayed entry into a post secondary institution, attends school part time, works full time (35 hours or more per week) while enrolled, financially independent, has dependents other than a spouse, a single parent or completed high school with a GED or other high school completion certificate.

According to the NCES study, students are considered to be "minimally nontraditional if they have only one nontraditional characteristic, moderately nontraditional if they have two or three, and highly nontraditional if they have four or more. " It is by these definitions that almost three-quarters of undergraduates are deemed to be, in some way, non-traditional.

Financial independence was the most common nontraditional characteristic (51 percent), followed by part-time attendance (48 percent), and then delayed enrollment (46 percent). The characteristics of a non-traditional student have also been called risk factors because "they are negatively related to the persistence" needed in earning a degree.

Non-traditional students have needs that differ from those of the traditional student such as refresher courses, time management and knowledge of academic resources available on campus. Research showed female non-traditional students have their own individual concerns such as guilt due to time away from kids, additional child care expenses and diminished personal time.

The same study showed male non-traditional students tended to have less worries about child care and school responsibilities and were more stressed about a lack of time and money due to their return to school.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools