After Divorce, Go Back to School

But Caffrey said older students often fare better than younger ones, because they already know how to deal with life.  

"I think one of the things our non-traditional students find is even though their academic records may not have been as good as the students who come directly out of high school, what they find is they do better here....and the reason for that is motivation and priorities. The students who do come back here have their priorities and do very well," he said. "That's one of the pluses. They find that they really can do it, and that all those years of experience they have are really ground for them."

According to ECampusTours.com,  "Many professors actually prefer to teach adult students because adults bring real world experience to the classroom and often have more motivation and desire to learn than younger students."  

There are some downsides to being an older student, according to Helium.com,  Those include the time it takes to complete a degree is twice as long, not having the necessary math and science skills and feeling socially separated from the other students.   

Caffrey said Iowa State may overlook some of its usual GPA standards, because of their work experience.  "Here at Iowa State, we actually have a considerable amount of flexibility with non-traditional students,"   he said.

Hollins University in Roanoke, Va. is another example of a university working to accept older students. A women's unversity, it used evaluations like an on-campus writing test, personal interview and letters of recommendation, according to the university's Web site, "by offering an admissions policy that focuses on overall credentials, not just on GPA or test scores." 

"A lot of colleges have special programs for adults returning to school, and that's easier to get in the swing of things," Berg said. 

Caffrey thinks private colleges sometimes cater to non-traditional students, offering four-week night courses or other specialty programs for older students.

Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., has a Returning to College program, founded on the premise that "returning students benefit from participating in the regular undergraduate curriculum, taking their places at the seminar table, the lab bench, and barre and learning from and with their younger colleagues," according to the college's Web site. 

But the cost of private colleges might stop older students, who are more financially committed. So returning to school at a community college might be a better bet, according to some experts.  "I would say that one option for some people to get the nervous feeling out is go to community college to get their feet wet, especially if they're away from school and have been away a long time. You can take one or two courses really inexpensively, and usually, those will transfer," Berg said.

"You can get your first two years of college coursework completed at a fraction of the cost, and typically, community colleges are pretty good at catering to non-traditional students," Cafferty said.  "Then, after those two years, I would really recommend them to look at their closest public university for the cost factor."