Why start studying later in life?

Going back into education as an adult is more common than many people realise. According to HESA student statistics, students aged 30 and over now make up 15% of all first-degree learners in the UK, up from 11% five years ago. More adults are choosing to return to education, and the reasons are as varied as the people themselves.

Whether you are thinking about it for the first time or have been considering it for years, this guide covers what you need to know: what being a mature student means, whether you can get financial support, and what the real benefits of studying later in life look like.

What is a mature student?

In the UK, a mature student is officially defined as anyone who starts an undergraduate degree aged 21 or over. This is the definition used by universities, UCAS, and Student Finance England.

In practice, the term covers an enormous range of people. A 22-year-old who took a gap year and worked for a couple of years is technically a mature student. So is a 45-year-old who has spent two decades building a career and now wants to take it in a different direction. And so is a 60-year-old who has finally found the time to study something they have always been interested in.

What mature students tend to have in common is a clear sense of purpose. People who choose to study as adults usually know why they are doing it, which often makes them more focused and more motivated than students who arrived straight from school without a clear goal in mind. This is a genuine advantage, not just a consolation.

If you want to read more about what the experience is actually like, visit our guide on becoming a mature student.

Can mature students get student finance?

Yes. According to GOV.UK student finance guidance, there is no upper age limit for Tuition Fee Loans in England. Whether you are 21 or 61, you can apply for a loan to cover your course fees, provided you meet the standard eligibility requirements and are studying for your first undergraduate degree.

For Maintenance Loans, which help with living costs, there is an age restriction: students who are 60 or over on the first day of their course are not eligible for a standard Maintenance Loan, though they may be able to access a special support loan based on household income.

There is also an important benefit for students aged 25 and over. At 25, you become an ‘independent student’ for finance purposes, which means only your own income and your partner’s income are considered in assessing your Maintenance Loan. Your parents’ income is no longer taken into account. For many mature students this results in higher loan entitlement than they might expect.

Additional grants are also available for mature students with children or adult dependants, including the Childcare Grant and Adult Dependants’ Grant. These do not need to be repaid. It is always worth checking what you are entitled to before assuming you cannot afford to study.

Benefits of studying later in life

Studying as an adult comes with a different set of advantages from those you might have had at 18. Here are four of the most significant ones.

Changing careers

One of the most common reasons adults return to education is to change careers. A degree or professional qualification in a new field can open doors that experience alone cannot. It signals to employers that you have made a serious commitment to the change, not just an interest in it.

For people who have spent years in one industry and want to move into something different, a relevant qualification is often the most direct route. It also gives you structured time to build knowledge in a new area while still maintaining your income through part-time or online study.

Personal development

Not all reasons for studying later in life are career-related. Many people go back into education because they want to. There is something genuinely rewarding about learning something properly, engaging with ideas at a deep level, and completing something challenging.

For people who feel they missed out on higher education when they were younger, studying as an adult can be a way of doing something they always wished they had done. The satisfaction of finishing a degree at 40 or 50 is just as real as finishing it at 22. Some people find it more so, because they understand exactly what they had to commit to in order to get there.

Better career prospects

A qualification can directly improve your career prospects, regardless of the age at which you gain it. Promotion, progression into management, moving into a regulated profession, or simply being taken more seriously in a competitive market are all things that a degree or postgraduate qualification can support.

The evidence for the value of a degree in the labour market is clear. According to the DfE Graduate Labour Market Statistics, graduates earn a median salary of £42,000, compared to £30,500 for non-graduates. That gap does not disappear when you gain the qualification later in life.

Using life experience

Adult learners bring something to their studies that younger students typically do not have: years of real-world experience that gives context to what they are learning.

When you study a module on leadership and you have managed a team, or read about healthcare systems and you have worked in one, or explore financial theory and you have run your own business, the learning lands differently. You are not just absorbing abstract information. You are connecting it to things you have actually lived through.

This makes for richer academic work and, often, stronger results. Many tutors note that mature students produce essays and assignments that are grounded in a way that the work of younger students sometimes is not. Your experience is not a disadvantage to be explained away. It is a genuine academic asset.

Flexible and distance learning for mature students

Most mature students cannot walk away from their current lives to study full time. Work, family, mortgages, caring responsibilities, and everything else that comes with being an adult means that study has to fit in around real commitments, not the other way around.

This is exactly what online and flexible learning is designed for. At Arden, all programmes are available online and part time, which means you set your own schedule and study when it suits you. There are no required campus visits, no commute, and no fixed timetable to organise your week around.

Part-time study does take longer. A degree that takes three years full time may take five or six years part time. But for many adult learners, a degree that takes six years and gets completed is infinitely better than a full-time course that becomes unmanageable within a year.

Find out more about flexible learning options at Arden.

Find courses at Arden University

Arden University is built around the needs of adult learners. Our students come from every background and every stage of working life. Many are making career changes, others are building on existing careers, and some are simply pursuing something they have always wanted to study.

Whatever your reasons for thinking about studying later in life, the most important thing is that it is not too late. The evidence, and the experience of thousands of students like you, says the opposite.