Introduction
There are several definitions of "non-traditional" students. Most definitions include reference to age, considering students 25 and over to be non-traditional. Therefore, many non-traditional students likely delayed enrollment in college or started college right after high school, but did not finish and are returning years later. Other factors that may be used to identify non-traditional students include those below :

Having dependents
Financially independent from parents
Working full-time
Earned a GED (rather than high school diploma)

Required reading
Wyatt, L. G. (2011). Nontraditional student engagement: Increasing adult student success and retention. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 59, 10-20. DOI: 10.1080/07377363

Chen, J. C. (2017). Nontraditional adult learners: The neglected diversity in postsecondary education. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017697161

Reflection questions
1. Wyatt writes, “Nontraditional students come with many special attributes not yet realized by their traditional student counterparts”. What example does the article provide and what are some examples you have noticed while advising?

2. One big factor that is discussed within CWU’s retention is student engagement. How does engagement look different for nontraditional students? How do we showcase engagement in our role?

3. Reflect: How do you check your biases when it comes to working with nontraditional students? What are some things from Chen’s article that you would like to implement in your advising?

Campus resources (in addition to those covered in previous modules)
CWU Continuing Education
This may be focused more on students who could be returning (change of career/degree) or would like to focus on other academic achievements (Certificates, online learning, professional development).

CWU Veterans Services
Many non-traditional students may also be veterans. It will be helpful to know more about the support they can receive with veterans services.

Ways to learn more
NACADA offers resources including articles and webinars focused on non-traditional students.

Updated 6/23/20