3 Key Ways Non-Traditional Students Are Different Than Traditional Students
Non-traditional undergraduate students (those pursuing a bachelor’s degree who are older than 22 years of age) and traditional undergraduate students have a lot in common. Aside from their shared goal of pursuing a college degree, they both have a number of shared values when choosing a school.
For one, affordability remains a critical piece of any college decision. The same is true for a school’s reputation. A school with a solid academic reputation and track record of alumni with rewarding careers will always be a plus for every type of student. There are others, of course, such as faculty quality and availability, the friendliness of the campus, and more.
However, there are some key differences. And it’s important to make sure you’re both aware of these differences and account for them when marketing to non-traditional students. This is especially true since the majority of degree-seekers these days are in fact non-traditional students.
Below are three key differences between non-traditional and traditional undergraduate students.
Convenience vs. Community
A major part of the undergraduate experience for traditional students is the school’s community and forming meaningful relationships. It’s staying up late, having deep conversations with fellow dormmates. It’s meeting friends at the cafeteria between classes. It’s studying all night with friends in the campus’ beautiful Gothic library.
But many non-traditional students are not looking for this type of communal experience. This is because many of them are busy trying to juggle family, work, and other personal obligations. So, while they certainly would be open to forming friendships and enjoy being part of a communal setting, most of them aren’t going to value community as much as whether or not the program can facilitate their life goals – more on that below.
How flexible are the class offerings and can they be integrated with a full-time work schedule? Are classes offered synchronously and/or asynchronously? How long will it take to complete the program and how many previous credits is the school willing to accept?
Non-traditional students need programs that allow them to take courses in a manner that accommodates their heavy schedules. They need to be able to earn their degree as quickly as possible to help take that next step in their career.
That’s why it’s important to make sure to stress the convenience, ease, and flexibility of your program first when marketing to non-traditional students. It’s fine to talk about the community, the camaraderie at sporting events, or the campus’s rich social traditions—but these aren’t going to be nearly as compelling if the school does not offer convenient degree programs for working adults.
Inspiring vs. Encouraging
Traditional students typically find it easy to imagine a life at college, meeting new friends, living in a dorm, and being on their own for the first time—there are few things in life as exciting as going off to college. Effectively marketing to traditional students often has an inspirational flare: helping students imagine being part of an exciting learning community and pursuing their dreams and callings after they graduate.
While, again, this can also be true for non-traditional students, many non-traditional students probably have a slightly less “romantic” view of going to college. In fact, some of them might be quite nervous about engaging in such a venture. There are several reasons why this might be the case.
If they have been away from school for a long time, some non-traditional students might need to be encouraged that they will be successful if they decide to pursue a degree. Others might be worried about balancing schoolwork with family and work obligations. And others might be unsure whether earning a degree will be worth the major investment in time and resources. In other words, they might need more encouragement to pursue a degree at this later stage in life.
There are a number of ways to encourage non-traditional students. For example, you could:
Connect a prospective student unsure about balancing school with taking care of kids with a current student in the same position.
For a student who might feel overwhelmed by the application process—especially when it comes to determining what previous college credit or work experience can be transferred—you could offer a specialized “previous credit” call with an admissions counselor to help them navigate the transfer and admissions process, which can often be a huge barrier for adult students.
Hold an online workshop for adult prospective students about career advancement opportunities to demonstrate the return on investment of a degree.
Whatever you do, just make sure you clearly communicate in your marketing that you offer these “encouraging” resources.
You could even adopt certain content marketing strategies, such as offering free educational courses on writing a personal statement for the application or a free white paper on basic strategies for successfully managing one’s time as a non-traditional student working full time. These types of encouraging content marketing efforts can help ease non-traditional students’ fears and concerns about returning to school and help them take the next step in pursuing a degree.
Launching vs. Facilitating
Both traditional and non-traditional students are going to be interested in career and vocational preparation. But, there will likely be some differences in how student types approach career development.
Most traditional students will have more of an exploratory mindset toward their careers. What opportunities will they have to dive into different types of work (internships, collaborative in-class projects, etc.)? How will their courses allow for real-world experience and practical knowledge? Are there resources available on campus to help them discover and pursue certain careers?
While some non-traditional students may benefit from similar resources, many of them will likely already have a general sense of what type of career they want to either advance within or transition into. In fact, traditional students usually enroll in a specific type of degree program—nursing, organizational leadership, criminal justice, for example—and already have clear senses of the type of work they hope to pursue. They are often not as interested in exploratory career services as much as resources that can concretely facilitate their career goals.
So, when it comes to recruiting non-traditional students, consider highlighting resources and opportunities that are geared toward facilitating. This could be:
Professors who mentor and work with students one-on-one
Events and class presentations featuring industry professionals
Program cohorts made up of a diverse group of peers with valuable work experiences,
Career center counselors who can help students develop a tangible game plan for transitioning into a new career
In short, the more you can provide concrete resources to reveal how you can facilitate non-traditional students’ career goals, the better.
Since both traditional and non-traditional students are ultimately seeking the same degree, there is naturally going to be overlap, but there are key differences that are worth being aware of when it comes to your marketing and recruiting efforts. Ultimately, the more you’re able to focus your efforts that align with each audience’s goals, the more likely you are to recruit both traditional and non-traditional undergraduate students and help them pursue their academic and career goals.
