Think You're Too Old for Business School? Think Again.

Nontraditional students are rapidly returning to business school.

Long known as "nontraditional" students, older students age 40 and older are quickly becoming a part of the mainstream on college campuses and specialized career centers—like business school—all around the U.S.

According to The Education Resource Institute (TERI) and The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), this group is currently "the fastest growing age cohort in postsecondary education." With over 1.6 million adults over 40 now participating in postsecondary education, this group comprises about 11.5 percent of the total college student population.

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The TERI and IHEP's report, "Life After Forty: A New Portrait of Today's—and Tomorrow's—Postsecondary Students," includes the following information:

As the number of working adults enrolling in business school and other classes increases, many colleges and universities are responding to the needs of these workers by offering training in more flexible formats designed to work around busy schedules.

More and more employers are making higher education accessible to their workers, often footing the bill for this training.

Older students get better grades and complete training programs more often than younger students.

Workers who participate in educational programs report more job satisfaction, stay on the job longer, and are more successful in their work than those who do not.

Many people make their most significant contributions to the fields in which they're employed after the age of 40.