Increasing Access of Non-traditional Students to Higher Education

This article discusses the consequences of increasing access of non-traditional students to higher education (HE) in Sweden for society, individuals, and HE. The findings are based on a recently finished European Research Project called Access and Retention: Experiences of Non-traditional Students in Higher Education (RANLHE) with seven countries involved. First, an introduction about opening access to HE is presented, followed by a review of Swedish HE policy. Next is a presentation of the RANLHE project including the project’s research focus, methodology and a comparison between the partner countries. The Swedish case is highlighted and a typology of non-traditional students introduced which demonstrates a change in students’ identity formation as a result of mass HE. The role of research and teaching institutions in regards to mature/non-traditional students and their impact on students’ identity formation is discussed. The article concludes with the general consequences for HE in Europe