More adults are attending college in Finland, so that now approximately one-third of university students, including one-fourth of undergraduates are aged 30 years or over. A study using national data and adult history accounts found these three reasons connected with the change of the age structure in universities: studying for a second university degree; long study times; and starting studies at an adult age. A common attribute of the adults interviewed was that they had to work at a young age, but, especially at transition points in their lives, acted on long-standing desires for more education. They also felt that they were "different" from university students of usual ages, mostly because of their multiple life roles as parent, employee, and spouse. Surprisingly, the adult students also reported feeling "different" at work and kept their studies quiet in that environment because they perceived lack of support or even hostility to their studies. All the adults reported positive impacts of their studies, whether or not they gained employment advancement. However, almost all of the adult students did report positive employment results. (Contains 31 references.) (KC)