This systematic review of the literature on emotional abuse and women's experiences in higher education explored current and foundational literature to gain a better understanding of how nontraditional female adult learners who previously experienced emotional abuse manage their journeys in higher education. No literature was found specifically focused on emotional abuse and how the nontraditional female adult learner who previously experienced emotional abuse manages her journey in higher education. Much literature exists from a multidisciplinary and historical perspective using various language to define different social contexts and forms of abuse. Understanding how emotional abuse is situated in the larger abuse literature was central to this study. An exhaustive systematic review with selected citations was conducted finding a gap specific to emotional abuse and women's experiences in higher education. Challenges exist today for any student in higher education, yet further qualitative research is needed to better understand the narratives of the nontraditional female adult learner who previously experienced emotional abuse. Dominant culture ideology informs both the concept of abuse and our understanding of the nontraditional female student in higher education. [For the full proceedings, see ED625421.]