Journeys and motivations of mature students

Source: https://study.ed.ac.uk/mature/journeys-motiviations Parent: https://study.ed.ac.uk/mature

Mature students bring a variety and a wealth of personal and professional experience. No matter your background, you belong here.

No typical mature student

There is no such thing as a typical mature student. Each student has had a different learning pathway and journey to get to this point. You may be:

• studying full-time or part-time at college
• following a dedicated access-to-university programme, such as the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP)
• studying online with the Open University or another institution
• returning to education after a break

There is no right time to study. The principles of lifelong learning tell us that returning to education at any stage is a great choice to make. The right time to go to university is the time that's right for you.

Mature students share a variety of motivations for returning to education, whether it be to:

• enhance career prospects
• develop new skills
• pursue a lifelong interest in a particular subject
• achieve a personal goal or ambition

Wherever your journey has started from and whatever your motivation is, you bring a wealth of skills, experience and knowledge to the University. These make a hugely valuable contribution to the diversity and culture of our student population.

Some mature students, like myself, might be of an age where we were not encouraged academically as children or teenagers. This does not mean that we cannot achieve what we are capable of, it just means that it may take some of us longer to get there than others. I took the view that as long as you get there in the end, it does not matter how long it takes. I have now graduated with a BSc Hons and have a job that I love. None of this would have been possible if I had not taken that first step and believed in myself.

Lucy Graduate

Number of mature students at Edinburgh

You are generally considered to be a mature student if you will be aged 21 or over at the start of your degree programme.

At Edinburgh, around 20% of our new undergraduates each year are mature students.

Choosing a degree and applying

The first step when considering applying to university is to think about what subjects you enjoy and find a degree programme that matches your interest.

Choosing a degree and applying

This article was published on 2025-10-07