Linda Weiss

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the essence of being a nontraditional student (NTS) who sought admission to and enrolled in a traditional on-campus higher education institution (IHE). The general focus of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of NTSs (i.e., undergraduate students aged 25 or older in public four-year universities) as they sought admission to and enrolled in undergraduate degree programs. Specifically, I explored students’ experiences in seeking academic course credit for prior work experience and how those experiences influenced the students’ self-efficacy toward completing a degree. My research questions were: (RQ 1) What are the lived experiences of NTSs who are first-time applicants to a four-year public university during the application process until enrollment? (RQ 2) What are the experiences of those NTSs when seeking academic course credit for prior work experience? (RQ 3) How do those experiences affect the self-efficacy of the NTSs as to completing their degrees successfully? I used criterion sampling to ensure that all participants had experienced the phenomenon, and seven individuals became participants in this study. Data were collected through two rounds of one-on-one semi-structured virtual interviews and document review. Data analysis yielded 68 codes for RQ1, 27 codes for RQ2, and eight codes for RQ3. From these codes, five themes emerged: (1) reasons for delaying postsecondary education after high school, (2) motivators in the decision to pursue postsecondary education, (3) experiences during the application process, (4) difficulty in obtaining course credit for work experience, and (5) confidence in successful graduation. Each research question was informed by one or more of the themes. Keywords: nontraditional student, posttraditional student, adult learner, social cognitive theory, self-efficacy, prior learning credit, academic advising