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Financial Aid for Non-Traditional Students

Non-traditional college students in the US can be defined in various ways but, in the most broad sense, are described as those students who are not attending college immediately after completing high-school. There are wide variations in age, life circumstances, family structure, previous education and reason for attending college. Many have already had careers, families and have attended college previously.

Although roughly 40 percent of college students are 25 or older, financial aid in general tends to be targeted at traditional students. Non-traditional students are not purposely excluded from most programs but their specific needs tend not to be addressed by them. Financial aid programs that are available to non-traditional students are described below.

Federal Financial Aid

Non-traditional students tend to get a higher percentage of their financial assistance from the federal programs compared to private scholarships than do traditional students. Federal financial aid programs have no specific age restrictions whereas some scholarship programs have age restrictions and/or favor traditional students in their award processes.

For federal financial aid purposes, once a person reaches 24 years of age, they are automatically considered independent from parents. This is an advantage as many non-traditional students do not have the resources for college that parents of a college-bound high-school student might have. They typically haven’t spent years planning for college tuition as a parent of a traditional student may have.

Although the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) is not available to those who graduated high-school prior to 2005, all of the other federal grants are available to non-traditional students, including the Pell grant, which is the primary grant given to low-income students. The federal Perkins loan, Stafford Loan and Student PLUS loan are also available independent of the borrower's age. Federal unsubsidized Stafford loans even have higher borrowing limits for independent students.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used by schools to determine eligibility for federal financial aid but it is not designed to handle non-traditional situations, such as an adult leaving a job to return to school. It is therefore important in this type of situation for non-traditional students to contact a school’s financial aid office and explain their situation. They should ask to have their income adjusted from the prior tax year reported on the FAFSA since they will no longer be earning this income and will not have that income as a resource during the time they are in school. This more accurate picture of a financial situation should help qualify them for more aid.

Savings Plans

The Coverdell Education Savings Account is a college savings plan that must be used before the beneficiary is 30 years old. The newer, 529 college savings plan has no such restriction.

Scholarships

Although many scholarships are created with the traditional college student in mind, there are many others with no age restrictions and even some that have a minimum age of 25 or greater. Non-traditional students should focus on these scholarships as well as those that are looking for community service or work experience since these may be easier to win than those focused on grades and test scores.

School Aid

Some schools restrict undergraduate financial aid to those who are working towards their first bachelor’s’ degree but others waive this limitation if an adult is returning to school to facilitate a career change. Students should talk to the financial aid office at the schools they are interested in attending to find out what aid the school may be able to provide.

Employer Assistance

Those who are planning to attend school while continuing in their current position should find out what tuition assistance is available from their employer. The majority of large employers offer some type of tuition assistance but each will have its own requirements about the types of classes or programs covered, grades required for reimbursement and employment commitments.

Senior Citizens

Many states offer free tuition or reduced tuition to seniors who attend in-state public colleges or community colleges. Many colleges offer free tuition to seniors who want to audit classes, although this is usually on a space-available basis.

Part-time students

Most federal aid is available to students attending school part-time but some require at least half-time attendance, including Stafford loans. Loan borrowers should also be aware that they will need to start repaying loans if they drop below half time.

Students attending online schools

Many non-traditional students now opt to take classes online due to the convenience for people working and/or raising families. Braintrack’s article "Financial Aid When Attending Online Schools" discusses financial aid with respect to online schools.

Retraining grants

The U.S. Government is awarding grants to community colleges as seed money to start retraining programs that help adults learn new career skills. These programs may offer services such as career counseling, tutoring, child-care assistance and help with transportation and textbook expenses.

Some states offer retraining programs, especially when there has been a significant event that results in an increased number of unemployed. For instance, Michigan ramped up retraining programs as the automobile industry started laying off large numbers of employees in 2007 and 2008. Other states have run similar programs when large numbers of jobs were sent overseas.