Mature Age Students
Not all students studying at the University of Adelaide come straight from school. Many people travel, undertake paid employment, have families or study at TAFE or elsewhere before deciding to undertake tertiary study.
The University defines mature age students as special entry students who are 18 or over by 1 February of the year for which they seek admission, and who either don't have the formal qualifications to satisfy standard entry requirements or have qualifications that are insufficiently competitive for them to gain entry.
Most mature age students gain entrance to uni by sitting the STAT (Special Tertiary Admissions Test).
What are the challenges facing Mature Age students?
All new students face adjustments to tertiary study and uni life. For mature age students there are often additional issues. These can include:
- Loss of confidence in their ability to study after a delay - sometimes the longer a person has been away from study, the harder it often is to feel confident about getting back to the routines and discipline of learning environments
- Juggling family needs and routines with their study timetable - attending classes and finding quiet time for personal study can be challenging if you have dependent children and busy, noisy households
- Maintaining financial responsibilities such as mortgages and school expenses while studying
- Worrying about not being completely accepted by younger students
- Having concerns about communicating with students from a different generation
- Feeling socially isolated when around younger students with different interests and life experiences.
Mature Age Connections (MACs)
Recognising the extra challenges facing mature age students, we offer a series of relaxed and friendly events where first year mature age students can connect and enjoy some complimentary food and beverages.
These events are designed to give you the chance to meet one another and recognise a few faces from your degree programs. Days and times are varied to try to accommodate different schedules.
We will be inviting some experienced mature age students to attend these events so that you can share experiences and ask questions from those who have already been down the same path.
