The age of a person shouldn’t determine whether or not they get admitted to college. I don’t believe there is a specific age a person needs to be to start college.

Traditionally speaking, when people think about college students, they generally imagine 18 to 22-year-olds. But these days, we see students from teenage to middle-age studying in the same classes.

While most students attend college right after high school, this isn’t always the case. Those who don’t start college immediately may decide to go later in life or possibly never.

Statistics have shown that approximately 38 percent of undergraduate students are older than 25.

So, the real question is why are they starting college so late?

Circumstance causes many people to take different routes after finishing their primary education. Young adults must get jobs to save up for higher education. College fees are expensive, and it takes a long time for those who refuse to take out student loans.

Some people become parents at an early age and need to spend time with their children, while still providing financial support. This can cause them to postpone their college education. 

Some people take time off to travel and explore the other possibilities life can entertain them with.

Meanwhile, there are people who join the military or workforce to help serve their country. I have personally known a veteran who joined the military at the age of 18. After serving his country for 15 years, he joined college in his mid-thirties and graduated a few years later.

Despite all these circumstances, people want to start college at some point, because they believe that education is important in building a career.

Who doesn’t want to make their life better and easier in the long run by getting a higher education?

However, there are also cases of students under the age of 18 who want to join college.

The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. This means any public or non-public college getting financial assistance from the government cannot have an age restriction for admitting students.

I believe age is just a number which doesn’t define the intellectuality and maturity of a person.

We can see the same belief in high-tech companies like Google, which hired a 16-year-old Indian boy, Harshit Sharma, for over $23 million per year in 2017. With this example, we further see how age isn’t a determining factor when it comes to higher education.

When a person decides to go college, age can be a factor but doesn’t have to be.

Circumstances may make getting a college degree more difficult, but don’t give up.

I believe education is for all, and there shouldn’t be any age restrictions for attending.