Experiencing the barriers: non-traditional students entering higher education

Abstract

The paper describes part of an ongoing study of the experiences of 32 mature, ‘non-traditional’ students as they make the transition to higher education. The paper draws on the stories of three of the participants to highlight some of the financial and institutional barriers experienced by mature minority ethnic students. It points to the need for institutional change if nontraditional students are to thrive within a system that purports to be directed towards widening participation. The study reveals the non-traditional student as a frustrated participant in an unresponsive institutional context and questions the tendency to problematize students from non-traditional backgrounds, rather than the educational institutions responsible for their progress This paper is based on research carried out with adults involved in a communitybased, flexible access to higher education project in an inner-city area of the UK. The study involved the development of a participatory research design to encourage mature students to speak directly to an academic audience and to reflect on their experiences as they made the decision to aim for higher education entry, and as they entered a variety of part-time and fulltime higher educational establishments and courses.