Demographics
According the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success, the typical college student is no longer an 18 year-old, full-time student that has limited family and financial obligations. In 2008, more than a third of undergraduate students were over the age of 25, nearly 25% were parents and half of those parents were single parents. In addition, non-traditional student enrollment has been trending upwards recently, which some observers attribute to the economic downturn.
Part-time enrollment, by some definitions a determining factor of non-traditional status, may account for a large proportion of college students. 46 percent of postsecondary 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.
Read more about this topic: Non-traditional Student