Scholarships for Adults and Nontraditional Students – BestColleges.com
The cost of college can be expensive no matter your age, but financial aid can help relieve some of this burden.
Scholarships can help students of all ages and backgrounds afford college. Some scholarships are catered to support students of certain backgrounds or identities.
Many scholarships and other student resources are aimed at students who are fresh out of high school. However, these may not meet the needs of nontraditional students.
Nontraditional students often choose to go back to school to earn additional credentials or skills to change careers or progress in their current roles. They also may have family or work responsibilities, which means they have different financial considerations and needs.
Read on to learn more about scholarships available to adults and nontraditional students.
We’ve compiled a list of scholarships for adult and nontraditional students as a starting point — look into additional opportunities based on your background, achievements, and professional goals.
Adult students are usually considered people over 24 years old who are attending college for the first time or returning to school after a long hiatus.
While there is no singular definition of “nontraditional students,” these learners are often individuals who did not enroll in a campus-based college program immediately after graduating from high school. This can include adult students, online students, and students with children.
Adult students typically pay for college in the same ways younger students do. Scholarships, loans, grants, and work-study programs are all available to adult students.
Depending on their financial situation, adult students may have had the time and resources to pay for college out of pocket by using savings or other personal assets.
It’s never too late to return to school. Anyone can find some benefit to going back to school, whether it’s pursuing better career opportunities, a higher earning potential, or increased expertise.
With the flexibility of night and weekend classes and asynchronous online education, older students can earn their degrees while meeting professional and family obligations.
Adult students can have the same access to college scholarships as younger students. This can include federal financial aid, state scholarships, university scholarships, and grants from local businesses or organizations.
Adult students can fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is a good starting point for state and federal scholarships and grants.
Some scholarships may have age limits, but many do not. You can check with the scholarship provider to learn if a scholarship has an age limit for applicants. Some scholarships have preferences or restrictions on race, gender, state of residence, and program of study.
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