Success for Nontraditional Students at Elite Institutions

"Many nontraditional students who enter higher education with the goal of earning a degree leave without obtaining either an associate’s or bachelor’s (Choy 2002). These students are frequently burdened with loans they cannot afford to repay, especially if they have attended expensive for-profit institutions. Yet various programs throughout the country have demonstrated that with appropriate financial, academic, and moral support, nontraditional students can earn their degrees, even at prestigious colleges and research universities. In this report, The University of Michigan’s Center for the Education of Women (CEW) offers one model where such success is common. "