Because of federal support and a universal understanding that a formal education should be the right of all people regardless of race, creed, color, age, or gender, universities have become extremely diverse, serving over 14,359,000 people per year in the United States alone. The variety of schools includes community colleges offering certificates and associate degrees, technical schools offering certificates and training in specific technical fields, colleges offering baccalaureate degrees, and universities offering both baccalaureate and advanced degrees. In this new technological age, there are even virtual universities where classes are taken on line. Today's college students are more diverse than at any time in history. Although many students still enter college directly after high school, the old standard of the student finishing a four-year college education at the age of 22 is a standard no longer.
Some students take longer than four years to finish.
Some students complete part of their education, pursue other paths for a while, and return to finish later in life. Some go right into the work force after high school and decide to pursue a college degree after many years. The old rules no longer apply. The following facts from the National Center for Education Statistics paint a dramatic picture of how the student population has changed since the 1980s. From 1980 to 1990, the population of students over the age of 25 grew by 34 percent, while there was only a 3 percent growth for students under 25.