ABSTRACT
College students over the age of 25 years are commonplace on most community college campuses. Although less prevalent, the number of older students on university campuses is also growing. Between 2000 and 2009 general postsecondary enrollments of older students increased 43% (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2011). Surprisingly, adult students comprise more than 42% of all degree-granting institution enrollments (NCES, 2011) with a strong concentration in community colleges and for-profi t institutions (American Council on Education, 2008). Despite their growing numbers, the literature specifi c to older college students remains sparse (Pusser et al., 2007). A somewhat troubling development for those interested in the education of adult
students is the current spotlight cast on delivering younger and younger students to the college curriculum. Colleges and universities are building their early college programs with increased dual credit programs and encouraging advanced placement credits. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2009), more than 800,000 high school students participated in dual credit in the 2002-2003 school year. Obviously, there is a limit to how many students the colleges can serve. If attention is diverted to the untraditionally young, there is simply less attention and resources for those on the other end of the untraditional age spectrum.
