The introduction of Law 64/2006 allowed creating alternative forms of access to Higher
Education (HE), leading to a significant increase of mature students at Higher Education
Institutions (HEI). From the academic year of 2006/07 on, Portuguese HEI implemented
an alternative access to students with 23 years old or more. These mature students could
apply even without completing their secondary studies. After a written test that includes
a general and a specific scientific component (done and evaluated by the university
staff), the professional experience and training of the students are assessed, and an
individual interview is conducted. In Portugal more than 86.000 mature students were
approved since the year of 2006 by the HEI; despite the fact that a lesser number of
students are effectively enrolled in HE (GPEARI/MEC, 2011). It seems a fact that
access was made easier to students that traditionally were not at the university. But
easier access means little if nothing is done to tackle the traditional problems of
drop-out and retention that are commonly associated to non-traditional students in HE.
It is time, therefore, to go beyond access and get a deeper understanding on the main
obstacles mature students face while in HE, or how they perceive the factors that
influence both the learning and the teaching processes. This will allow us to produce
some recommendations to improve mature students’ academic success
