Diversity in Distance Education

Stories of Our Nontraditional Students

At UNC Charlotte, learning comes from many different experiences, not just from the classroom. Diversity of a campus community enriches every aspect of a student’s experience and the experiences of nontraditional students enrich our campus community. Behind every degree, there is a story: of struggle, of determination, and of triumph. It takes commitment. Many non-traditional students juggle life, work and family responsibilities in addition to their educational goals. Over 3550 students (14 percent) of the UNC Charlotte undergraduate population are students who are 24 years old or older.

In a project made possible by a grant from the 2018-2019 Chancellor's Diversity Challenge Fund, five pairs of nontraditional students interviewed each other about their experiences of returning to college and their motivation to pursue their first bachelor's degree. Each pair of students is made up of one nontraditional student who is nearing graduation and one nontraditional student who is just starting out on his or her journey. We hope you will be inspired by the stories from these 49ers.