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Essay on Community Colleges and Non Traditional Students
Undergraduate students whose circumstances are described by one or more of the following categories are considered non-traditional: adults 24 years of age or older, veterans of the armed forces of the United States, married students, and students who have legal dependents. (Non-traditional Students, 2005)An American English term referring to students at higher institutions education whom are not of the typical age or societal situation as the majority of their peers. In the United States, college students are typically age 18-22, unmarried, and without physical or learning disabilities.
In contrast, non-traditional students may be individuals who achieved their GED late, former home makers preparing to join the workforce, unsuccessful business people training for a different profession, or an individual using a motorized wheelchair or an animal companion. The term is not generally used for secondary students who have been left back. Nor is it used as widely in graduate school, where some programs reach as high as 50% of students returning for further education from time in the workforce.The term "nontraditional student" is not a precise one, although age and part-time status (which often go together) are common defining characteristics .
An NCES study examining the relationship between nontraditional status and persistence in post secondary education identified nontraditional students using information on their enrollment patterns, financial dependency status, family situation, and high school graduation status (Horn 1996). Specifically, in this study, a nontraditional student is one who has any of the following characteristics:
Delays enrollment (does not enter post secondary education in the same calendar year that he or she finished high school); Attends part time for at least part of the academic year; Works full time (35 hours or more per week) while enrolled; Is considered financially independent for purposes of determining eligibility for financial aid......
