Mature students

of British Columbia
and Douglas College

Challenges and strategies of an older demographic
By Cazzy Lewehuk, Staff Writer

“mature student” is generally
defined as an adult enrolled
in any post-secondary program.
The definition varies in British
Columbia depending on the
institution and, sometimes, the
circumstances of the student’s
admission. Applying for post-
secondary education as a mature
student is a different category
than applying as a regular full-
or part-time applicant.
While standards vary,
every post-secondary
institution in British
Columbia has
attendees who
qualify as “mature
students.”

Some
institutions
define a specific
minimum age

or criteria to
qualify: as old
as 23 or even as
young as 17, or
if the student
in question
has been out
of school for a
full year. Some
colleges or
universities,
in fact,
require the
applicant to
have been out
of school for
a minimum
amount of
time to be
considered as a
mature student.
They may also
require a high
school diploma
and/or completion
of English 12 or an
equivalent. This
separates mature
students from transfer
students: a 23-year-
old applying to Simon
Fraser University with
30 previous transferable
credits would be distinct
from another 23-year-old
who has no post-secondary
education. The former is a

 

transfer and the latter a mature
student.

Mature students are a very
diverse group, with no two in
the exact same situation. They
have a wide range of ages, life
experiences, and enrollment
reasons. In general, mature
students are distinct because of
their admission standards and
ages, but their diversity may be
greater than other, traditional
students.

In many ways, mature
students are identical to the
ones who attend college right
out of high school. They take
the same courses, go to the
same campuses, and have the
same stresses and strategies
for studying. However, the
differences that affect their
situations and schooling can
be vast and cause a significant
separation from their younger
peers. Many mature students
have part-time or full-time
jobs, sometimes even careers,
which they balance between
schooling. They are more likely
to live away from their parents,
particularly at institutions that
do not provide student housing.
Some may even have spouses,
children, and families of their
own who are reliant on them for
support. Balancing all of these
duties can, and often does, lead
to significantly higher challenges
for these students due to the
increased workload.

On the other hand, there
can also be certain advantages
to being a mature student.
They have a larger degree of
life experience, which they can
often apply to their studies.
Mature students usually have
a firm direction in where they
want their studies to go, and
can be much more dedicated in
their roles than their younger
counterparts. Studies show that
when mature students leave their
studies prematurely, it is much
more often due to outside factors
like family or employment,
rather than poor grades or
discouragement.

Mature students pursue

 

education for a variety of
reasons. And, while every
situation is different, they all
have one thing in common: they
are returning to the education
system after having been away
for a period of time. Some of
them haven't been to school for
many years, and must learn and
adapt to the changes in lifestyle
and technology associated with
education. Some may be taking
programs or courses to meet a
specific need in their careers,

to upgrade their diploma, or to
learn new skills. In fact, many
already have previous degrees

or diplomas, and are simply
returning to their education

for necessity or even pleasure.
Another common reason is

that they took time off earlier

to do different things, such as
working, travelling, volunteering,
or finding themselves. Some may
have social or family obligations
as their reason for returning to
school such as wanting to set a
good example for their children,
satisfying their parent’s wishes
to pursue higher education, or
upgrading their careers for better
salaries to support their kids.
Many immigrant students also
fall under the mature category,
pursuing education in Canada to
advance themselves, or to make
up for education received in their
home country not recognized in
this one.

Many schools in BC—
particularly the highly
prestigious ones—are difficult
to access for mature students.
UBC requires the student to have
been out of full-time studies
for at least four years, and in
addition to that, they may only
apply for certain programs. SFU
and North Island College have
the highest age requirement for
mature students in the province
at 23. SFU and NIC, along with
Emily Carr and UNBC, require
their mature students to be
Canadian citizens or permanent
residents—making immigrant
access difficult in some cases. It
is also stated on the websites of
these institutions that preference