Evening classes

A part-time learner is a non-traditional student who pursues higher education, typically after reaching physical maturity, while living off-campus, and possessing responsibilities related to family and/or employment. Part-time student status is based on taking fewer course credits in a semester than full-time students.

In the United States, the number of part-time students rose 16 percent between 2004 and 2014. In 2015, 23 percent of undergraduate students at 4-year institutions attended part-time, compared to 61 percent of students at 2-year institutions.

In Canada, the course load that constitutes part-time student status varies between institutions. The University of British Columbia, for example, defines a part-time undergraduate student as one enrolled in less than 80 percent of the standard 30 credit-hour course load. The University of Manitoba defines the part-time undergraduate student as an individual enrolled in less than 60 percent of the standard full 30 credit hour course load. The Government of Canada national student loans program defines a part-time student as one who is enrolled in 20-59 percent of a full course load.

In Canada part-time undergraduate enrolment grew by 25 percent from 1980 to 1992. From 2000 to 2010, part-time enrolment grew by one percent a year compared to four percent for full-time enrolment. A high number of part-time students are adult students. In 2010, approximately 24 percent of undergraduate students in Canada were studying part-time, and 60 percent of part-time students were 25 years old or older.

In the United Kingdom, while full-time students have been increasing, part-time student enrolment has been steady decreasing since 2009-2010. In 2011-2012, 31 percent of all enrolments were part-time, while in 2015-2016 part-time students consisted of 24 percent of all enrolments. Between 2011-2012 and 2015-2016 there was an overall 30 percent decrease of part-time students.

In Australia, 31.2 percent of students in 2008 were enrolled part-time. Between 2003 and 2008, while the number of students attending full time increased by 21.1 percent, the number attending part-time enrollments increased by only 2.5 percent.

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