The paper looks at part-time higher educational services for students in the educational systems of Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. A comparative examination of the nature and importance of part-time higher education is then presented. (DB)

The increase in part-time, working college students in Italy corresponds to a trend toward a less stable, fragmented student life style in which none of the student's activities is primary and study is only one of many part-time roles. (MSE)

The Italian university system is currently characterized by lack of institutional diversity, enrollment contraction, an increasing dropout rate and part-time student population, tenured-in faculty at all levels, and declining faculty productivity. Although both students and faculty recognize these problems, neither is moving to solve them. (MSE)