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Nontraditional Undergraduates / Trends in Nontraditional Student Enrollment
Trends in Nontraditional Student Enrollment
Nontraditional students, as broadly defined by this study, accounted for a substantial proportion of the undergraduate population in all three surveys (figure 3). A clear majority of undergraduates were at least minimally nontraditional, and about half were either moderately or highly nontraditional. The trend over the 6-year period indicates that the enrollment of nontraditional students overall increased between 1986 and 1989, and then leveled off in 1992.
While the overall proportion of nontraditional students did not change between 1989 and 1992, the composition relative to the number of nontraditional characteristics did. That is, the proportion who were moderately nontraditional increased from 28 to 31 percent, while the proportion who were highly nontraditional declined from 26 to 23 percent. If one looks at enrollment according to level of institution, the changes can primarily be attributed to the trends of enrollment in 2-year institutions where the highest proportion of nontraditional students are enrolled.
Changes in enrollment relative to institution type can provide some indication of whether institutions are successfully reaching out to less traditional students in order to maintain or increase their enrollment. This appears to be true for private, not-for-profit 4-year colleges (table 3). Between 1986 and 1992, for example, the proportion of moderately nontraditional students who were enrolled in private, not-for-profit 4-year colleges (both nondoctoral and doctoral) increased. At the same time, the proportion of highly nontraditional students enrolled in these institutions remained stable. Public 2-year institutions, on the other hand, experienced no meaningful change in the proportion of moderately nontraditional students between 1986 and 1989 (31 and 33 percent), but their enrollment increased from 33 to 39 percent between 1989 and 1992. At the same time, unlike the private, not-for-profit 4-year nondoctoral colleges, the proportion of highly nontraditional students who were enrolled in these institutions actually declined from 42 to 35 percent.
While it appears as though there are large fluctuations in nontraditional student enrollment in other institutions such as public less-than-2-year and private, not-for-profit less-than-4-year institutions, it is important to remember that only about 1 to 2 percent of undergraduates are enrolled in these institutions (see table 1) and therefore, there is not enough statistical evidence to conclude that actual changes occurred.
Trends in nontraditional enrollment are also apparent when examined according to the average number of nontraditional characteristics among the undergraduate population (figure 4). Among students in public 2-year institutions, for example, the average number of nontraditional characteristics peaked in 1989 and declined in 1992 (from 2.7 to 2.9 to 2.7). Among students in private, not-for-profit 4-year nondoctoral institutions, on the other hand, the average number of nontraditional characteristics for the 3 years was 1.3, 1.4, and 1.6, respectively, demonstrating a gradual increase over time.
Figure 3-Percentage distribution of undergraduates, by nontraditional status: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
NOTE: Nontraditional status is based on the presence of
one or more of seven possible nontraditional characteristics:
minimal=1, moderate=2 or 3, highly=4 or more. These characteristics
include older than typical age, part-time attendance, being independent
of parents, working full time while enrolled, having dependents,
being a single parent, and being a recipient of a GED or high
school completion certificate. Details may not add to 100 percent
due to rounding.
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 1986-87 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93), Data Analysis Systems.
Figure 4-Average number of nontraditional characteristics among all undergraduates, by institution type: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
NOTE: Nontraditional status is based on the presence of one or more of seven possible nontraditional characteristics. These characteristics include older than typical age, part-time attendance, being independent of parents, working full time while enrolled, having dependents, being a single parent, and being a recipient of a GED or high school completion certificate.
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-87 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
Table 3-Percentage of undergraduates according to nontraditional status, by institutional type: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1989
------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 1989 1992
------------------------------------------------------------------
Institutional type Traditional
Total 35.4 31.4 30.4
Public
Less-than-2-year 15.0 9.0 5.7
2-year 13.9 12.7 12.6
4-year nondoctorate-granting 42.1 39.2 36.9
4-year doctorate-granting 52.7 49.1 50.8
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 35.5 33.0 21.6
4-year nondoctorate-granting 54.4 50.0 45.9
4-year doctorate-granting 64.2 59.4 60.0
Private, for-profit 21.0 15.8 16.8
Minimally nontraditional
Total 13.8 15.1 15.2
Public
Less-than-2-year 9.8 11.3 13.2
2-year 13.5 12.1 14.3
4-year nondoctorate-granting 15.6 18.6 18.0
4-year doctorate-granting 15.4 18.9 18.1
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 14.1 16.1 12.4
4-year nondoctorate-granting 11.3 14.5 11.1
4-year doctorate-granting 9.2 15.4 11.8
Private, for-profit 14.3 14.3 14.8
Moderately nontraditional
Total 24.8 27.5 31.1
Public
Less-than-2-year 36.7 43.8 46.2
2-year 30.7 33.0 38.5
4-year nondoctorate-granting 23.3 25.6 28.1
4-year doctorate-granting 20.3 22.3 22.4
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 28.7 31.9 35.5
4-year nondoctorate-granting 15.3 18.0 22.0
4-year doctorate-granting 13.3 15.7 17.6
Private, for-profit 37.9 40.2 42.1
Highly nontraditional
Total 26.0 25.9 23.4
Public
Less-than-2-year 38.6 35.9 34.8
2-year 42.0 42.3 34.6
4-year nondoctorate-granting 19.0 16.6 17.0
4-year doctorate-granting 11.7 9.7 8.7
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 21.7 19.0 30.6
4-year nondoctorate-granting 18.9 17.6 21.1
4-year doctorate-granting 13.3 9.5 10.6
Private, for-profit 26.8 29.7 26.4
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NOTE: Nontraditional status is based on the presence of one or more of seven possible nontraditional characteristics: minimal=1, moderate=2 or 3, highly=4 or more. These characteristics include older than typical age, part-time attendance, being independent of parents, working full time while enrolled, having dependents, being a single parent, and being a recipient of a GED or high school completion certificate.
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Surveys: 1986-97 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
Trends for Individual Nontraditional Characteristics
Looking at each characteristic separately, the patterns of change
tended to vary over the 6-year period (figures 5a and 5b). For
example, the most notable increases between 1986 and 1992 occurred
for the proportion of students who were older than typical or
who attended part time. The only significant decline between 1986
and 1992 was found for undergraduates who had a GED or certificate
of high school completion.
Older Than Typical Age
The proportion of undergraduates enrolled in postsecondary education
who were older than typical increased, from 54 to 59 percent between
1986 and 1992 (figure 5a). The proportion of older-than-typical
students rose substantially in private, not-for-profit nondoctoral
4-year colleges (table 4). In these colleges, about one-third
of the student population (38 percent) was older than typical
in 1986, compared with nearly one-half (47 percent) in 1992. As
a point of comparison, in 1986, the proportion of older-than-typical
students enrolled in private, not-for- profit nondoctoral 4-year
colleges was much lower than in the corresponding public 4-year
colleges (38 percent compared with 47 percent). By 1992 however,
the gap between private and public institutions narrowed to 47
and 52 percent, respectively, a difference that is not statistically
significant.
Figure 5a-Percentage of undergraduates with each nontraditional
characteristic: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-97 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
Figure 5b-Percentage of undergraduates with each nontraditional
characteristic: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
* GED refers to General Education Development exam.
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-97 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
Table 5-Percentage of independent undergraduates, by selected institutional characteristics: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1986* 1989 1992
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 46.3 48.6 48.3
Level of institution
Less-than-2-year 68.8 75.0 73.1
2-year 60.8 64.4 60.1
4-year or more 33.8 33.2 35.5
Control of institution
Public 48.7 50.5 49.0
Private, not-for-profit 31.5 32.7 37.6
Private, for-profit 61.8 68.7 68.3
Institutional type
Public
Less-than-2-year 69.0 74.8 72.3
2-year 62.1 65.0 60.3
4-year nondoctorate-granting 40.2 38.7 41.4
4-year doctorate-granting 31.6 30.2 29.5
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 40.4 50.6 59.5
4-year nondoctorate-granting 34.2 34.5 41.8
4-year doctorate-granting 25.8 25.9 27.6
Private, for-profit 61.8 68.7 68.3
-------------------------------------------------------------------
* According to 1989 and 1992 definitions of dependency status (see appendix A for details).
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-87 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
Independent
Unlike older-than-typical students, the overall proportion of students identified as independent of their parents changed little during the time period (figure 5a, table 5). This indicates that the increase among older-than-typical students is occurring among undergraduates under the age of 24 (the age criterion for independence).[22]
[22] The proportion of older-than-typical students among those under age 24 increased from about one-quarter to one-third between 1986 and 1992 (1986-87 and 1992-93 NPSAS Data Analysis Systems).
Table 5-Percentage of independent undergraduates, by selected institutional characteristics: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
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1986* 1989 1992
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Total 46.3 48.6 48.3
Level of institution
Less-than-2-year 68.8 75.0 73.1
2-year 60.8 64.4 60.1
4-year or more 33.8 33.2 35.5
Control of institution
Public 48.7 50.5 49.0
Private, not-for-profit 31.5 32.7 37.6
Private, for-profit 61.8 68.7 68.3
Institutional type
Public
Less-than-2-year 69.0 74.8 72.3
2-year 62.1 65.0 60.3
4-year nondoctorate-granting 40.2 38.7 41.4
4-year doctorate-granting 31.6 30.2 29.5
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 40.4 50.6 59.5
4-year nondoctorate-granting 34.2 34.5 41.8
4-year doctorate-granting 25.8 25.9 27.6
Private, for-profit 61.8 68.7 68.3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* According to 1989 and 1992 definitions of dependency status (see appendix A for details).
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-87 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
Part-Time Enrollment
More than one-third of undergraduates in all three NPSAS surveys reported attending part time in the fall (figure 5a). The changes in part-time enrollment, however, differed from the overall trend, in that part-time enrollment remained stable between 1986 and 1989 (38 and 39 percent, respectively), and increased to 42 percent in 1992.
There was discernible growth in part-time enrollment in private,
not-for-profit institutions overall (from 20 to 26 percent between
1989 and 1992) (table 6). The same was true for 4-year institutions
overall, where the proportion of part-time students increased
from 22 to 25 percent between 1989 and 1992.
Table 6-Percentage of undergraduates who attended part time in the fall, by selected institutional characteristics: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1986 1989 1992
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Total 37.8 38.7 42.2
Level of institution
Less-than-2-year 20.5 21.4 26.8
2-year 60.6 61.9 63.9
4-year or more 22.5 21.6 24.9
Control of institution
Public 43.2 44.6 47.5
Private, not-for-profit 21.2 19.7 25.9
Private, for-profit 16.1 16.5 21.8
Institutional type
Public
Less-than-2-year 29.0 31.3 50.8
2-year 63.8 65.4 66.2
4-year nondoctorate-granting 27.7 26.5 31.1
4-year doctorate-granting 20.7 19.7 20.4
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 29.9 21.3 45.9
4-year nondoctorate-granting 22.4 22.8 28.4
4-year doctorate-granting 17.6 14.2 18.5
Private, for-profit 16.1 16.5 21.8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-87 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
Full-Time Employment
One-quarter or more of undergraduates in all three surveys reported working full time while enrolled (figure 5a and table 7). The proportion of students who reported working full time during the month of October increased between 1986 and 1989 (from 26 to 33 percent), and then declined between 1989 and 1992 (to 28 percent). It should be noted, however, that the differences observed may be partially attributable to differences in the way the questions were asked in the surveys.[23] Comparable data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) did not show any significant changes for the equivalent time periods for members of households who were enrolled and working full time in October (33 percent for both 1987 and 1989 and 31 percent for 1992).[24]
[23] See appendix A for definitions.
[24] Represents household members enrolled in either collegiate or vocational education programs who reported working full time during the week of October at the time they were interviewed. Results for 1987 instead of 1986 were reported here because the former was the first year CPS collected employment information for both collegiate and vocational education respondents.
Table 7-Percentage of undergraduates who worked full time in October, by selected institutional characteristics: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 1989 1992
------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 25.6 32.7 27.6
Level of institution
Less-than-2-year 20.0 30.8 20.4
2-year 38.8 43.8 38.3
4-year or more 16.4 23.3 18.5
Control of institution
Public 27.6 34.5 29.1
Private, not-for-profit 18.4 24.6 21.9
Private, for-profit 20.5 31.7 22.9
Institutional type
Public
Less-than-2-year 24.1 35.9 34.7
2-year 40.2 44.8 38.9
4-year nondoctorate-granting 19.0 25.7 21.5
4-year doctorate-granting 13.1 19.9 13.3
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 18.6 23.6 30.5
4-year nondoctorate-granting 20.2 28.1 26.0
4-year doctorate-granting 15.7 19.0 14.9
Private, for-profit 20.5 31.7 22.9
------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: In each survey, questions about jobs were not asked exactly the same way. See appendix A for details.
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-87 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
Students with Dependents
Among the three survey years, the enrollment of students responsible for dependents other than a spouse was highest in 1989 (at 22 percent) (figure 5b and table 8). Between 1989 and 1992, the proportion of students with dependents declined to the 1986 level of 20 percent. The proportion of students who were single parents (7 percent) did not change at all over the 6 years (figure 5b and table 9).
The change in the enrollment trends of students with dependents
was primarily due to changes in public 2-year enrollment where
one in three students had dependents in 1989, followed by a decline
to about one in four (27 percent) in 1992 (table 8). Paralleling
the growth in part-time enrollment, the proportion of students
with dependents who were enrolled in private, not-for-profit 4-year
nondoctoral colleges grew from 14 to 18 percent between 1986 and
1992.
Table 8-Percentage of undergraduates with dependents other than a spouse, by selected institutional and educational characteristics: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 1989 1992
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 19.9 22.2 20.0
Level of institution
Less-than-2-year 38.2 43.0 41.6
2-year 28.8 32.3 26.8
4-year or more 11.9 12.1 12.1
Control of institution
Public 20.9 22.8 19.9
Private, not-for-profit 12.1 13.3 14.8
Private, for-profit 31.9 37.9 36.2
Institutional type
Public
Less-than-2-year 41.4 43.9 34.1
2-year 29.3 32.5 26.8
4-year nondoctorate-granting 15.2 14.9 15.2
4-year doctorate-granting 10.0 9.5 8.1
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 20.4 24.1 29.5
4-year nondoctorate-granting 13.5 15.5 17.6
4-year doctorate-granting 8.4 7.4 8.1
Private, for-profit 31.9 37.9 36.2
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-87 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
Table 9-Percentage of undergraduates who were single parents, by selected institutional characteristics: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 1989 1992
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 6.5 7.2 6.9
Level of institution
Less-than-2-year 19.9 22.8 23.0
2-year 9.1 10.1 8.8
4-year or more 3.4 3.5 3.7
Control of institution
Public 6.3 6.7 6.4
Private, not-for-profit 3.6 3.9 4.7
Private, for-profit 18.0 21.6 19.4
Institutional type
Public
Less-than-2-year 16.9 15.3 14.0
2-year 9.0 9.7 8.5
4-year nondoctorate-granting 4.4 4.2 5.0
4-year doctorate-granting 2.8 2.8 2.5
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 7.7 9.5 12.2
4-year nondoctorate-granting 4.0 4.1 5.3
4-year doctorate-granting 2.1 2.4 2.3
Private, for-profit 18.0 21.6 19.4
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-87 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
GED or High School Certificate of Completion
The only consistent enrollment decline from 1986 to 1992 among
the nontraditional characteristics identified in this study occurred
for undergraduates with a GED or high school certificate of completion
(figure 5b, table 10). The proportion of these students enrolled
in postsecondary education declined from 7 to 4 percent. This
trend may in part be due to the stricter enforcement of financial
aid regulations applied to students in for-profit institutions,
where GED recipients tend to be concentrated. Students in these
institutions have experienced particularly high loan default rates.
Table 10-Percentage of undergraduates who received a GED or high school completion certificate, by selected institutional and educational characteristics: Fall 1986, 1989, and 1992
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1986 1989 1992
------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 7.0 4.9 4.0
Level of institution
Less-than-2-year 20.5 14.9 13.7
2-year 10.6 7.6 6.1
4-year or more 3.3 1.9 1.5
Control of institution
Public 7.1 4.9 4.0
Private, not-for-profit 3.5 2.2 2.0
Private, for-profit 17.9 13.0 10.1
Institutional type
Public
Less-than-2-year 19.0 18.3 12.5
2-year 10.5 7.4 6.0
4-year nondoctorate-granting 4.5 2.6 2.0
4-year doctorate-granting 2.9 1.3 0.9
Private, not-for-profit
Less-than-4-year 12.6 6.6 7.4
4-year nondoctorate-granting 3.0 2.0 1.7
4-year doctorate-granting 2.5 1.5 1.4
Private, for-profit 17.9 13.0 10.1
------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: GED refers to the General Education Development exam.
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), National Postsecondary Student
Aid Study: 1986-87 (NPSAS:87), 1989-90 (NPSAS:90), 1992-93 (NPSAS:93),
Data Analysis Systems.
[Definitions and Data] 
[Persistence and Attainment of Nontraditional Students]
