‘Sometimes You Feel You’re in Niche Time’

In the light of the move to mass higher education, this article explores the necessity for supporting all students, but especially those non-traditional students who increasingly form the student body. It demonstrates this by presenting an empirical study of the personal tutor system in one of the faculties in a ‘new’ university in the north-west of England, drawing upon in-depth interviews with both students and tutors.The article also cites contributions from other universities as a comparison. The research incorporates some models of support systems and suggests a way forward.