Part-time learner in higher education

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A part-time student is a non-traditional student who pursues higher education, but will attend fewer class hours per semester than a full-time student, taking more years to complete their qualification; this is typically done after reaching adulthood, while living off-campus, and will often be done while carrying out responsibilities related to family and/or employment.[1][2][3]

Part-time student status is based on taking fewer course credits in a semester than full-time students. Part-time students may choose to pursue part-time studies for a variety of different reasons. A benefit of pursuing higher education as a part-time student is the opportunity to be able to balance learning with work, family and other personal commitments.[4] Not every program will have the option for part-time students to enroll. The selection of programs that are available in a part-time format will vary depending on the institution.

There is a lack of existing research that examines the experiences of part-time students in a higher education setting.[5] However, it is known that when compared to full-time students, part-time students often feel less engaged, and as a result, part-time students have much higher attrition rates.[6] It is recommended that peer support networks that support part-time students are implemented at institutions as a way to increase students' engagement with the program of study, decrease feelings of isolation, and increase participation.[7]

Australia

In Australia, 31.2 percent of students in 2008 were enrolled part-time. Between 2003 and 2008, while the number of students attending full time increased by 21.1 percent, the number attending part-time enrollments increased by only 2.5 percent.[8]

In 2022, there were over 10,000 part-time students in Australia, compared to over 4 million full-time students.[9]

Canada

At Canadian higher education institutions, there are numerous undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as diplomas, that are available on a part-time basis. Students in Canada may choose to pursue part-time studies for many different reasons. The reasons for choosing to pursue studies as a part-time student may include furthering one's education, advancing in a career, professional development, or simply the decision to pivot one's current life direction.[10] In the year 2019, there were about 266,000 part-time students in Canada.[11]

Definition by institution

In Canada, the course load that constitutes part-time student status varies between institutions. The University of British Columbia, for example, defines a part-time undergraduate student as one enrolled in less than 80 percent of the standard 30 credit-hour course load.[12] The University of Manitoba defines the part-time undergraduate student as an individual enrolled in less than 60 percent of the standard full 30 credit hour course load.[13] Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario defines a part-time student as a student who is currently taking less than three half-credit courses in a semester.[14]

Funding

The Government of Canada national student loans program defines a part-time student as one who is enrolled in 20–59 percent of a full course load.[15] http://www.canlearn.ca/en/Multimedia/nslsc/pdf/guides/CAN_PT_EN.pdf The Government of Canada offers funding to part-time students in the form of student grants and loans. The amount of funding that you are able to receive depends on many factors, including which province or territory you reside in, what your household income is, whether or not you have dependents, whether or not you identify as having a disability, and what your current tuition fees and living expenses are.[16]

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, while full-time students have been increasing, part-time student enrolment has been steady decreasing since 2009–2010. In 2011–2012, 31 percent of all enrolments were part-time, while in 2015–2016 part-time students consisted of 24 percent of all enrolments. Between 2011–2012 and 2015–2016 there was an overall 30 percent decrease of part-time students.[17]

In 2022-2023, there were 784,000 undergraduate students; of these, 140,000 were part-time students.[18] In 2024-2025, there were 536,000 postgraduate students, and almost 240,000 of these were studying part-time.[19]

United States

In the United States, the number of part-time students rose 16 percent between 2004 and 2014.[20] In 2015, 23 percent of undergraduate students at 4-year institutions attended part-time, compared to 61 percent of students at 2-year institutions.[21]

In 2022-2023, 11.5 million students attended higher education full time, while 7.4 million attended part time.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ Bean, J., P., & Metzner, B., S. (Winter,1985). A conceptual model of non-traditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55(4), 485-540. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from JSTOR database.
  2. ^ Indeed.com website, Pros and Cons of Being a Part-Time Student, article written 29 January 2025
  3. ^ UCEN Manchester website, The Benefits of Part-Time Study in Higher Education, retrieved 20 February 2025
  4. ^ "Why Part-time? - beds.ac.uk | University of Bedfordshire". www.beds.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  5. ^ Shannon, Elizabeth Ann; Pearson, Sue; Quinn, Wendy; Macintyre, Kate (2017-07-04). "Who benefits? What benefits? Part-time postgraduate study in health and human services". International Journal of Lifelong Education. 36 (4): 422–441. doi:10.1080/02601370.2016.1265600. ISSN 0260-1370. S2CID 151383501.
  6. ^ González, Jennifer (November 16, 2009). "Connecting With Part-Timers Is Key Challenge for Community Colleges, Survey Finds". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 56 (14).
  7. ^ Whitehead, Graham (July 1, 2011). "Developing institutional strategies to support failing/failed part-time students in higher education: Recommendations for practice and field educators". Journal of Practice Teaching & Learning. 11 (2): 27–46. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.865.858. doi:10.1921/175951511X661228.
  8. ^ "Students: 2008 Summary of Higher Education Statistics" (PDF). Australian Government, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. April 4, 2014. pp. 38–39.
  9. ^ Statista.com website, Number of full-time and part-time students in Australia from 2009 to 2022
  10. ^ Lee, Nicole (2017-12-14). "The Part-Time Student Experience: Its Influence on Student Engagement, Perceptions, and Retention". Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education. 30 (1): 1–18. doi:10.56105/cjsae.v30i1.5392.
  11. ^ "Facts and stats". Universities Canada. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  12. ^ The University of British Columbia website, (N.D.) Student Calendar. Retrieved September 28, 2007
  13. ^ The University of Manitoba website, (N.D.) Student Records. Retrieved September 26, 2007
  14. ^ "Wilfrid Laurier University - Graduate Calendar - 2011/2012 - General Regulations - Registration Status - Full-time and Part-time Qualifying Students". academic-calendar.wlu.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  15. ^ Government of Canada website, Employment and Social Development Canada (N.D.), Canada student loans program: Part-time studies. Retrieved July 12, 2017
  16. ^ Canada, Service (2020-04-28). "Student grants and loans - What do student grants and loans offer". aem. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  17. ^ "Higher education student enrolments and qualifications obtained at higher education providers in the United Kingdom 2015/16". HESA. January 12, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  18. ^ Higher Education Statistics Agency website, Who’s studying in HE?, article dated 12 September 2024
  19. ^ UCAS website, Modes of Study, retrieved 20 February, 2025
  20. ^ Digest of Education Statistics, 2015 (NCES 2016-014). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. 2016. pp. Chapter 3.
  21. ^ "Characteristics of Postsecondary Students (NCES 2017144)" (PDF). The Condition of Education 2017. National Center for Education Statistics. 2017.
  22. ^ National Center for Education Statistics, Back-to-school statistics, retrieved 20 February 2025

Additional citations

  • Andres, L., & Carpenter, S. (1997). Today's higher education students: Issues of admission, retention, transfer, and attrition in relation to changing student demographics. Centre for Policy Studies in Education University of British Columbia. Retrieved October 12, 2007 from:http://www.bccat.bc.ca/pubs/today.pdf
  • Billett, S. (1998). Ontogeny and participation in communities of practice: A socio-cognitive view of adult development. Studies in the Education of Adults, 30(1), 21. Retrieved September 15, 2008 from the Academic Search Elite database.
  • Campbell, D. (1984). The new majority: Adult Learners in the University. Edmonton: The University of Alberta Press.
  • Holt, N. (2003) Representation, Legitimation, and Autoethnography: An Autoethnographic Writing Story. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2 (1) Retrieved September 18, 2008 from https://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/2_1/pdf/holt.pdf
  • Kozulin, A. (2004). Vygotsky's theory in the classroom: Introduction. European Journal of Psychology of Education - EJPE, 19(1), 3-7. Retrieved September 15, 2008 from the Academic Search Elite database.
  • Kroth, M. (2000). Life Mission and Adult Learning. Adult Education Quarterly, 50 (2).
  • McDonough, G. (2005). Moral maturity and autonomy: appreciating the significance of Lawrence Kolhberg's Just Community. Journal of Moral Education, 34(2), 199-213. Retrieved September 18, 2008 from the Academic Search Elite database.
  • Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R., S., & Baumgartner, L., M. (2007). Learning in adulthood" A comprehensive guide (3rd Edition). San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.
  • Rennemark, M., & Hagberg, B. (1997). Sense of coherence among the elderly in relation to their perceived life history in an Eriksonian perspective. Aging & Mental Health, 1(3), 221-229. Retrieved September 18, 2008 from the Academic Search Elite database.
  • Russell, C. (1999). Autoethnography: Journey of the Self. Experimental Ethnography. Retrieved September 18, 2008 from http://www.haussite.net/haus.0/SCRIPT/txt2001/01/russel.HTML
  • Siegler, R., Ellis, S. (1996). Piaget on Childhood. Psychological Science, American Psychological Society, 7(4). Retrieved September 18, 2008 from the Academic Search Elite database.
  • Stydinger, N., & Dundes, L. (Spring, 2006). Over the Hill? A Nontraditional Undergraduate Student’s Uphill Battle. College Quarterly, 9(2). Retrieved September 16, 2007, from http://www.senecac.on.ca/quarterly/2006-vol09-num02-spring/stydinger_dundes.html

Further reading

  • Waniewicz, I. (1976). Demand for part-time learning in Ontario. The Ontario Educational Communications: Canada
  • Longden, B. & Yorke, M. (October 2008). The experiences of part-time students in higher education: A study from the UK. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/experiences-part-time-students-higher-education-study-uk
  • Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board. (1981). Post-secondary Education for Part-time and Returning Students.
  • Smith, D. M., & Saunders, M. R. (1991). Other routes: Part-time higher education policy. Buckingham [England: Society for Research into Higher Education.
  • Tight, M. (1991). Higher Education: A part-time perspective. Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press.