Getting What They Came For? Non-Traditional Students’ Degree Attainment

• In Event: 2484 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 16. Pathways through Higher Education

Abstract

More and more jobs require a bachelor’s degree or higher, bringing an increasing number of non-traditional students into higher education. Despite the changing workforce and student demographics, four-year higher education institutions continue to prioritize traditional students, those who enroll before the age of 24. This is a problem, as non-traditional students seeking additional education often have responsibilities and considerations distinct from their younger peers, but have been found to hold strong promise for success and achievement, as compared to younger enrollees. These students may be more likely to transfer institutions and begin at two-year and less-than-two-year institutions. This paper investigates the factors that contribute to degree attainment for non-traditional older adult students. Using nationally representative data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study of 2004/09 (BPS) and an analytic sample of 14,317 first-time college students enrolling in degree-granting institutions, we examine degree attainment success among non-traditional adult students, with a focus on institutional type and transfer. We find non-traditional adult students have lower chances of attaining degrees – any degrees –than their younger peers. Intriguingly, our interaction models reveal that all else equal, being an older student (24 years old and older) has the most negative effect at four-year institutions, where older students are by far the minority. Overall, the persistent challenges for non-traditional aged students merit further attention from institutional and public policy makers, practitioners, and scholars.

Authors

• Lara Perez-Felkner, Florida State University

• Amber Hampton, Florida State University