Supporting Nontraditional Students in Nursing Programs

Nontraditional students are no longer the exception in nursing programs. They are a large and growing share of every cohort. In the most recent National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, about 37% of nurses earned another postsecondary degree before starting their first nursing degree, which means a lot of new RNs come to nursing as a second career.

Career changers are only one slice of this group. Nontraditional students span a wide range of backgrounds and life situations:

• 25 or older
• Veterans
• Transfer students
• International students
• Attending part time
• Working full time
• Acting as a single caregiver
• Providing for one or more dependents
• Delaying college after high school
• Returning for a second degree
• Considered "independent" for financial aid
• Holding a GED or other nontraditional diploma
• Changing careers

These students are part of the answer to the need for a more culturally competent and diverse nursing workforce. Programs that support them well strengthen the whole pipeline.

The challenges nontraditional students face

Nontraditional students juggle school with full-time jobs, caregiving, and personal commitments. For anyone supporting a family on a single income, the pressure is sharper. Tuition, textbooks, clinical supplies, and living expenses add up fast, and financial strain is one of the biggest reasons students drop out.

Belonging is the other. Older students often sit in classrooms full of younger peers and struggle to connect. Research shows that peer support meaningfully improves retention, yet many programs have no formal structure to build it.

How nursing programs can support nontraditional students

Flexibility, personalized support, and a welcoming environment move the needle on retention. Here is where to start.

Offer flexible scheduling

Rigid schedules are a wall for students balancing work and family. Evening and weekend classes, online courses, and hybrid models lower that wall.

"It's important that nursing programs understand that while time management and deadlines are important, being a parent or caregiver means that sometimes illnesses, accidents and injuries happen," said Shannon Parker, RN, BSN, SANE-A, FNE, a forensic nurse in Cincinnati, Ohio. "Compassion and flexibility when unexpected life circumstances occur is essential to helping students succeed and stay engaged."

Studies name flexibility as one of the strongest drivers of retention. Let students build their schedules around work and family and they are far more likely to finish.

Provide tailored learning and career services

Peer mentoring, academic advising, and tutoring keep nontraditional students from falling behind.

"Having student advisers who are invested in seeing students succeed is extremely important," Parker said. "And having tutoring resources available to students with varying time availability would be extremely helpful."

Helping these students translate prior work experience into nursing strengths makes the transition smoother and points them toward specialties that fit.

Build an inclusive environment

Nontraditional students are more prone to isolation, so programs should give them ways to connect through student groups and events. Research shows that relationship-building creates a learning environment where collaboration and confidence grow.

Make financial aid clear

Financial stress is constant when you are covering tuition, living costs, and a family. Programs should walk students through the aid available to them. "Ensuring that students are aware of all grants and scholarships available to them is important to help mitigate financial stressors while in school," Parker said.

"While completing my ADN and then my BSN, there were times when financial aid did not cover all of the costs," she added. "Having the option to set up a payment plan with the school helped me stay in the program and keep moving toward graduation."

How nontraditional students can use the support around them

Succeeding takes more than diligence. It takes strategy, a support system, and attention to your own wellbeing.

"I have been to school for my ADN, then again for my BSN, and I'm currently finishing my master's," Parker said. "The challenges have been slightly different each time, but the way to navigate them stays similar." She leans on time management, physical and mental health, networking, and school resources.

Manage your time

Planners, time-blocking apps, and digital calendars help you hold classes, clinicals, study, work, and life in one view. Set clear priorities and protect dedicated study time so the semester does not turn into a string of last-minute scrambles.

Learn what your school offers

Knowing how to reach the right resources changes outcomes. Early in her BSN, Parker hit serious health issues that made staying in the program hard. "I could take a short leave of absence and return once I was better," she said. "Understanding that options like this exist can be very helpful when unexpected illnesses, accidents or emergencies occur." She also learned the school's Office of Disabilities could help. "You just have to be willing to have those conversations and take time to learn what student resources are available."

Build a support system

No one gets through nursing school alone. Seek out peer mentors, faculty advisers, and classmates you can lean on. "Getting to know other nursing students and nurses, joining professional associations, and connecting with nurses on sites like LinkedIn are great ways to build meaningful relationships in your career," Parker said.

Protect your wellbeing

Physical and mental health matter as much as grades. Regular exercise, enough sleep, and mindfulness keep burnout at bay. Make time for what recharges you, even if it is a five or 10 minute break.

Why real-world experience strengthens nursing education

Nontraditional students bring experience that enriches the classroom and the clinical floor. "I've seen people from various backgrounds offer a unique understanding or way of interacting with a patient based on their prior life experiences," Parker said. "I've worked with nurses who are veterans, and they could relate to veteran patients in a way I simply couldn't."

Transferable skills build stronger teams. A former teacher may excel at patient education. Someone from a corporate background may bring sharp organization and quick decision-making to high-pressure moments.

When schools and students work together on the real challenges nontraditional learners face, the result is a more capable, culturally competent nursing community.

"Nursing school is hard, but I've never regretted becoming a nurse," Parker said. "I'm thankful to my past self for putting in the work." Every student, whatever their background, can succeed with the right support behind them.