Non-traditional students

A non-traditional student is an American term referring to a category of students at colleges and universities. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) acknowledges there is no precise definition for non-traditional student, but suggests that part-time status and age are common elements. In a 1996 study, the NCES categorized anyone who satisfies at least one of the following as a non-traditional student:

By this standard, the NCES determined that 73% of all undergraduates in 1999–2000 could be considered non-traditional, representing the newly "typical" undergraduate. This remained consistent the following years: 72% in 2003-2004, 72% for 2007-2008, and 74% for 2011-2012. Therefore, the NCES defines non-traditional on a continuum based on the number of these characteristics present. Students are considered "minimally non-traditional" if they have only one non-traditional characteristic, "moderately non-traditional" if they have two or three, and "highly non-traditional" if they have four or more.

According to a 2011 journal article written by Jovita M. Ross-Gordon, professor at Texas State University in the Association of American Colleges and Universities publication, it is uncertain exactly how or when the term “non-traditional student” was first incorporated into educational language. However, it is thought that K. Patricia Cross is responsible for the phrase becoming the accepted, appropriate term to describe these students. In 1981, Cross, who has a passion for adult and continuing education, wrote Adults as Learners, in which she intermingled the term “non-traditional” with “lifelong learner.”

According to the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success, the typical college student is not an 18-year-old, full-time student who has limited family and financial obligations. In 2008, more than one third of undergraduate students were over the age of 25, nearly 25% were parents and half of those parents were single parents.

Regarding the 2011-2012 demographics distribution of non-traditional undergraduate students, the following were identified by the National Center for Education Statistics:

Part-time enrollment, by some definitions a determining factor of non-traditional status, may account for a large proportion of college students. 46% of post-secondary students are enrolled part-time. A considerably higher percentage of part-time students are enrolled in 2-year colleges compared to public 4-year institutions.

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