This paper studies adult students in Finnish universities. More specifically, I am interested in what kinds of adults apply and are accepted to the universities. Do they already have experience from higher education before? Or, are they after a second chance they missed in a younger age? Studies show that adult students in universities are not a homogenous group. Davies (1995, p. 287) identified three types of students: ‘deferrers’, ‘second chancers’ and ‘returners’. ‘Deferrers’ may be similar to the traditional entrants but they have chosen to do something else before entering the university. ‘Second chancers’ can be seen as a disadvantaged group who did not obtain the traditional qualifications at school. ‘Returners’ re-enter the higher education system to upgrade or update their qualifications. This categorisation is based on social status and level of previous education. Guyot (1996) has made another kind of typification. He identified five groups of adults: (1) Students without breaks in their educational careers but who do not have a degree from university. (2) Students without breaks in their educational careers and who do have a degree from university. (3) Students who have breaks in their educational careers and who enter the university as adults for the first time. (4) Students who enrolled in university in a younger age but did not complete their studies then. (5) Students who have breaks in their educational careers and who have already earned a degree from university. (Bourgeois, Duke, Guyot & Merrill 1999, pp. 68-69.) These two categorisations differ from each other in many ways. Guyot’s categorisation is more technical as Davies’ is more political and practice-oriented. What kinds of categorisations are useful is dependant on many factors. The adequacy of the typifications on different national settings also depends on the characteristics of the national educational system. In Finland, where the age structure of the student body is comparably old, Moore counted as adults those students who had turned 30. She identified five types of adults: (1) ‘Large-scale consumers of university education’ already had a degree from university. (2) ‘Eternal students’ had been studying for over 15 years. (2) ‘Long time students’ had been studying for over 10 but less than 15 years. (3) ‘Adult starters’ had begun their studies at the age of 30 or later and they had been studying less than ten years. (4) Also ‘young adults’ had been studying less than ten years but they had begun their studies before the age of 30. (Moore 2000, pp. 66-71, 88.) This paper also presents a categorisation of adults. The data differs from the one used in Moore’s study in that it is not about the students but about those people who apply for a student place in a university. Thus, all people in the analysis are either potential or actual adult starters. The data also allows one to study how the selection mechanisms of universities treat adults from different kinds of backgrounds.

This study utilises a large quantitative data which consists of a 40 % random sample of all applicants to Finnish universities in 2003. The variables include information about the applying process itself (which university and faculty was applied to, which entry route was used, whether the applicant was accepted) and the background and life situation of the applicants (e.g. age, sex, family situation, previous educational degrees and socio-economic status). (About the data and the research project, see Rinne et al. 2008.) In this paper, the main interest is on adult applicants. The age of 25 years was taken as a borderline for adulthood and all applicants 25 years old or more were included in the analysis. It was found useful to divide the adult applicants into five groups based on their educational background and age.

The five groups of adult applicants were formed as follows: 1. ‘Returners with previous degrees’. First, those adult applicants who already have taken a master’s degree in university were distinguished as a group its own. 2. ‘Second chancers’. Those applicants who did not fulfil the traditional entry qualifications of the universities were separated as a group of its own. 3. ‘Adults aspiring further education’. With the remaining body of applicants, the age was used as a dividing criteria. The third group consists of those who are 30 years or older. They are clearly adults. These applicants fulfil the traditional entry criteria but they have not entered the university in a younger age. 4. ‘Young adults seeking their educational path’. Young adults aged 25-29 years were further divided in two groups. The fourth group consists of those applicants who have only matriculation examination but no other degrees. 5. ‘Young adults continuing their educational path’. The fifth group includes those young adults aged 25-29 years who have the matriculation examination and in addition to that a degree from vocational or other educational institution. In the paper, these groups are described and their position in the student selection process is discussed.