Non-Traditional Students

Although the numbers vary from year to year, we typically have 15-20 non-traditional students (age 25+) enrolled. 

Applying for financial aid as a non-traditional student is similar to the process for all other students (you need to complete the FAFSA and COA’s verification form), with the exception that you may be considered an independent student and not need parent financial information. At COA you are considered an independent student if you are 24 or older or have received an approved Dependency Override from the Financial Aid Office. Make sure you complete the appropriate application and verification form for your status.

Please also be aware that the federal limit to receive financial aid is 150% of the time it takes to complete a four-year bachelor’s degree (equal to 6 years). If you were previously enrolled at a college and received financial aid but do not plan to transfer credits to COA, it is possible that your financial aid eligibility will expire before you graduate. We encourage you to discuss your situation with our financial aid staff.

We do still require your high school transcript to be submitted as part of your application, though our admission committee understands that you have likely had many new experiences since graduating from high school. They will also look at transcripts from any colleges you attended and we welcome you to explain other learning experiences through your essays and/or an interview.

If you are not able to get educational references from recent teachers or advisors, you might consider asking a mentor, supervisor, or someone else in your community who knows you well and can speak to your strengths.

A student can transfer a maximum of 18 credits to COA, the equivalent of sixty semester credit hours or ninety quarter hours in systems commonly used at other institutions. One COA credit is equivalent to 3.3 semester hours or five quarter hours. Work at another accredited institution is transferable with a grade of C or above. Although all work from previous institutions must be submitted during the admission process, students may elect to not transfer in their credits (unless receiving VA benefits). Military training experience may be acceptable for credit under the American Council on Education guidelines. As with DANTES, credit requests are handled on a case-by-case basis.

A transfer student bringing in nine or more COA credits is exempt from the first-year requirements (Human Ecology Core Course, History, Writing, and Quantitave Reasoning courses). We can connect you with the registrar’s office if you have any questions or would like a preliminary transcript review.

We are happy to connect you with a current non-traditional student if you would like to hear about their personal experience. Just reach out to let us know!

Non-traditional students are not required to live on-campus and often prefer to live independently. If you would like to live on campus, we guarantee housing for first-year and transfer students entering in the fall term, if all forms are submitted by May 1st. We cannot guarantee off-campus housing, but we do our best to help students find options in town. We will share any rental listings we receive and are happy to send out a request to the COA community on your behalf. We also recommend checking out the MDI Rental Resource group on Facebook.

Please reach out to us! We’re happy to help and we will do our best to provide answers based on your specific situation. Our admission staff are available via phone or email. You can also schedule an interview to chat one on one with an admission counselor.