A “non traditional student” is by definition not the typical student in higher education. However, this definition is changing and fast. In 2008, 36 percent of undergraduate students in the United States were 25-years-old or older. A study conducted by the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success said that over the next 10 years students over the age of 25 are projected to enroll at a faster rate than traditional students. By 2019, more than half of all students enrolled in American higher education are expected to be over 25-years-old.
Many studies show that the main worry for older adults is the amount of debt they will have to take on in order to complete a degree. These worries are not baseless. Student loan debt in the United States is around a trillion dollars and growing.
“It worries me, but it’s something that is a necessity, to go to school in America. It’s something that you have to do,” Justin Price, a 30-year-old Psychology major, said. “My wife and I work and we’ve budgeted everything out.”
Lindsey Smith, a 25-year-old philosophy major said the only thing that worried her about coming back to school was taking out student loans.
“When I reapplied I went into it knowing that I was going to have to take out student loans to cover all of my school,” Smith said. “That was pretty much the only thing that was really terrifying.”
Another main concern is whether or not they will be able to keep up with academics. Research done by Public Agenda shows that 54 percent of students who started at age 25 or older dropped out within six years. These students seem to have a harder time staying in school.
Unemployment is a reasonable factor in why some non-traditional students would be getting back in school. According to the National Center for Education Statistics adults between the ages of 24 and 64 are more likely to be unemployed if they do not have any college. Those 24- to 64-years-old who have a bachelor’s degree or higher had a less than 10 percent unemployment rate in 2013, however, those with only a high school diploma had almost twice the unemployment.
The U of M’s Office of Institutional Research says that for the fall 2014 there is a subtotal of 4107 students who are 25 to 59-years-old. The U of M has tried to make it easier for these students to get into the university and graduate.
