Being a part-time student might be a good option for those who have already begun pursuing a career and are on their way to becoming financially independent. You can also take care of any family responsibilities while simultaneously working towards a degree. According to research conducted by Times Higher Education, part-time students gain higher pay, new skills, and greater responsibilities in the workplace.
However, when comparing the benefits side by side – there are many challenges and often overlooked pitfalls.
The choice between full-time and part-time college is an important one. Balancing the pros and cons can help you decide the best path to achieve your academic goals.
For many non-traditional students, part-time college offers flexibility and affordability that allows them to advance their education while meeting work and family needs. However, it also comes with trade-offs in timeline, campus engagement, and access to support.
Understanding the key benefits and drawbacks of part-time enrollment assists in setting realistic expectations. Do the advantages of fitting education around your life outweigh the longer timeline to graduation? Here is an in-depth look at the pros and cons of being a part-time college student:
Flexibility and Convenience
Part-time college provides tremendous scheduling flexibility compared to full-time enrollment. With fewer required courses per term you can better balance your academic and external responsibilities.
Benefits of a part-time schedule include
- Taking evening, weekend or online classes that fit your work hours
- Maintaining employment income while enrolled
- Accommodating childcare duties around class times
- Avoiding schedule conflicts with other commitments
- Studying and completing assignments on your own timeline
The flexibility to design a manageable course load each term allows you to integrate school, work, and family life Part-time schedules bring convenience and continuity to non-traditional students’ busy lives
Lower Per-Term Costs
Another advantage of part-time enrollment is lower educational expenses per semester or quarter. With fewer classes come fewer tuition charges and fees.
Part-time students enjoy cost savings by:
- Paying less tuition and fees per term
- Stretching program costs over more terms
- Maintaining income from existing employment
- Qualifying for lower loan amounts due to reduced credit load
Even after factoring in the overall longer timeline, part-time college is often more affordable than full-time attendance. The incremental expenses are easier to manage from current earnings or financial aid.
Career Development
For students hoping to advance their career while enrolled, part-time college enables professional development and skills application in tandem.
Benefits related to career include:
- Gaining work experience while earning a degree
- Applying classroom concepts directly in your job
- Networking with more professionals
- Taking online classes while traveling for business
- Qualifying earlier for promotions or pay increases
Pursuing school part-time allows you to learn, earn, and set yourself up for long-term career success simultaneously.
Personal Enrichment
Part-time students also enjoy the ability to pursue education primarily for reasons of personal enrichment and development rather than professional advancement.
For personal fulfillment, part-time study provides:
- The joy of lifelong learning
- A sense of pride and achievement
- Exposure to new concepts and cultures
- Improved confidence and self-esteem
- Preparation for future interests like starting a business
While career prep often motivates part-time attendance, the sheer enjoyment of expanding your knowledge should not be overlooked.
Connection to Campus Life
One potential drawback of part-time enrollment is less immersion in campus culture and student activities. With limited time on campus, part-time students can feel disconnected.
Challenges related to campus engagement include:
- Taking mostly evening or online classes apart from campus routines
- Missing student events and extracurriculars that occur during daytime hours
- Difficulty collaborating on group projects with full-time classmates
- Limited access to faculty outside scheduled class times
- Feeling isolated from the college community
While part-time students achieve the same high-quality education, they miss aspects of the traditional college experience.
Extended Program Length
It naturally takes longer to complete a degree attending part-time – often twice as long. This extended timeline requires sustained focus and determination.
Drawbacks related to program length include:
- Taking classes for more academic terms to graduate
- Experiencing “senioritis” fatigue your final terms when peers have graduated
- Postponing career advancement until after earning your degree
- Seeing tuition costs rise during your extra enrollment terms
- Forgetting concepts between infrequent related courses
Part-time students must preserve through an elongated timeline to graduation.
Financial Aid Restrictions
Many part-time students discover they do not qualify for as much financial assistance as full-time peers. Most aid requires at least half-time enrollment status.
Financial aid limitations include:
- Not meeting minimum credit requirements for grants and scholarships
- Only being eligible for smaller federal student loan amounts
- Losing aid from parents’ tuition benefit programs restricted to full-time
- Being ineligible for on-campus work-study jobs
Before committing to part-time, fully understand how it impacts your financial assistance options.
Class Availability Challenges
Part-time students often confront challenges registering for required classes due to availability. High demand courses and prerequisites may be roadblocks.
Class availability challenges include:
- Required courses only offered during daytime hours on a rigid schedule
- Popular classes filling up quickly before you can register
- Prerequisite courses provided infrequently or conflicting with your schedule
- Programs requiring full-time status to enroll in certain classes
Navigating class availability requires proactive planning and priority registration to ensure you take courses when needed.
Key Takeaways: Evaluate Your Priorities
There are persuasive upsides and downsides to enrolling in college part-time. Your personal situation will determine whether added flexibility justifies a longer path to graduation.
Carefully weigh factors like career acceleration, financial realities, campus engagement and academic priorities. Many non-traditional students thrive in part-time programs by maximizing advantages while navigating through disadvantages.
- Convenience, flexibility and work-life balance
- Lower per-term costs
- Career development while enrolled
- Personal growth and fulfillment
However, disadvantages can include:
- Less connection to campus culture
- Extended program length
- Restricted financial aid opportunities
- Class scheduling challenges
Determine your priorities, understand the tradeoffs, and choose the study path aligned with your needs. With realistic expectations about the pros and cons of part-time college, you can make the most of your experience and achieve your goals.
Con: It Will Take You Longer to Get Your Degree
Whether you’re a full time or part time college student, you still need the appropriate classes and right amount of credits to graduate with a degree. A bachelor’s degree tends to be 120 credits, for example. If you’re only attending school part time, it can take you at least twice the time to graduate compared to a full time student! It will be even longer if you spend some semesters only taking 1 to 2 classes (or none at all).
This length of time can lead to some students losing steam and motivation, deciding not to work towards their degree in the end.
Pro: Being a part-time student gives you a flexible schedule
When you’re a part-time student, you have more time flexibility as you slow down the pace of your learning. You take fewer classes per semester so you can focus on other things in life. The majority of full-time workers choose to become part-time students as it allows them to progress through college while enjoying the financial benefits of employment. Also, the variety of online part-time study programs has made advanced education more accessible to a wider number of people—right from the comfort of their homes.
The pros and cons of working part time as a student | FT Schools
What are the pros and cons of being a part-time student?
There are various advantages to being a part-time student. Here are some pros to consider: 1. Flexible schedule Enrolling as a part-time student may afford you a certain level of flexibility in your scheduling as you pursue your education.
What are the disadvantages of studying part-time?
Attending college part-time also comes with some drawbacks, such as: Many colleges and universities require you to be enrolled at least half-time or a minimum of six credit hours per semester to qualify for certain loans, grants, and other financial aid programs.
What are the benefits of being a part-time student?
However, when comparing the benefits side by side – there are many challenges and often overlooked pitfalls. When you’re a part-time student, you have more time flexibility as you slow down the pace of your learning. You take fewer classes per semester so you can focus on other things in life.
Are part-time students more likely to graduate?
Since they typically juggle work, family life, and school, part-time students are less likely to graduate than full-time students. In fact, a study found that those who enroll full-time are five times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years than students who choose to study part-time.
