College and University Blog
Nontraditional Students: Earning College Credit for Life Experience
The “typical” college student of the past was 18-22 years old, lived on campus, attended college full time, and enrolled in college directly from high school. Fewer than 17% of college students currently meet these criteria. The following characteristics are common among students identifying as nontraditional students:
- They are generally over the age of 25
- They have interrupted college for more than one academic year
- They may require special services to attain their degree
- They manage other responsibilities (such as career or family) while attending school
Nontraditional students face the same stresses as traditional students. Studies have indicated that nontraditional students had considerably more time and role conflicts than other college students. Nontraditional students display significantly lower levels of academic stress and report being more satisfied with their academic experience. They also reported less worrying about their performance. The stress felt by nontraditional students is usually associated with things happening outside of the academic realm.
Many nontraditional students attend classes and earn credit the normal way