Education Commons^™

Constructing A Clear Definition Of Neotraditional Students And Illuminating Their Financial Aid, Academic, And Non-Academic Experiences And Outcomes In The 21st Century, Tuan D. Nguyen, Jenna W. Kramer

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Decades of research related to the experience of postsecondary students who are adults, work full-time, or have other life roles have not led to agreement in the field regarding who is a “nontraditional” college student. This study leverages nationally representative data to illuminate shifts in this student population in the 21^st century and builds a picture of their demographics, financial aid receipt, and academic experiences. Our results suggest that, in order to capture the diversity of the 21^st century students and ubiquity of students with multiple life roles, we need to carefully define this student population; the use …