大學與人口老化有何關係呢？一般人對高齡學習者的迷思，包括以女性為主、退休有閒才來學、偏好簡單易學的內容等，如此的思維非但使高齡教育政策易缺乏對高齡者多元需求的落實，大學往往亦不參與高齡教育政策之規劃。本研究在政府教育統計數據缺乏高齡族群資料的現況下，研究目的在描繪註冊於高等教育之60歲以上高齡者的基本特徵，針對「他們是誰（who）？」、「為何念（why）？」、「怎麼念（how）？」、「念什麼（what）？」共四大問題進行探討。採問卷調查法進行，2011年全臺408個系所、60歲以上註冊就讀之研究對象共662人，經分析287份有效問卷後，本研究發現：一、研究參與者年紀分布最高至87歲，60～64歲占七成，幾以男性為主；二、學士、碩士、碩專、博士班四種學位修習者之修習動機都以增加新知為主，單純只為獲取學位的比率相當低。三、近半數高齡學生尚未退休；約有半數目前或過去的職業為公教人員，其中以女性居多；之前或現在工作為工商業者中，有相當高比率修讀碩士專班。四、修讀領域方面，男性修習人文藝術的比率占了28%，相當不刻板。據此，本研究提出幾項結論：高齡者對嚴謹的、長期的且系統性的學習仍有需求；選讀領域在老年階段似不再以服膺社會期待為主；而職涯階段中工作單位對學習的要求與鼓勵措施可能持續影響高齡者對學習管道的選擇。本研究亦提出多項建議，有助於在人口高齡化的挑戰下，更多元的高齡教育機會構思以及高等教育角色之討論與創新回應。

Our understanding of older learners enrolling in formal education in general and in higher education in particular is next to nothing. There exists, however, a common belief that elderly learners are mostly retired females who have lots of free time and tend to choose easy subject matters to learn. Is such a belief a fact or a fallacy? As official statistics for the education of older adults are lacking, for the purpose of setting up an inclusive campus and better policies for older adults who have various learning needs, this study aims to find out characteristics of older adults who are over sixty and enrolled in university degree programs by investigating who they are, why, how, and what they study. 662 questionnaires were sent to registered elderly students, and 287 valid questionnaires were obtained. Main findings of this study reveal that several popular beliefs about elderly learners are simply myths. First, the majority of elderly learners at universities were males, not females. Second, elderly learners went to university in order to pursue knowledge, not to obtain degrees. Third, half of the students were not retired. Fourth, a large proportion of males majored in humanities and arts, which were traditionally considered as fields of study for females. This study contributes to our understanding of the heterogeneity and various learning needs of older adults. The findings suggest that elderly learners enrolling in higher education might be different from learners who participate in non-formal education. Three conclusions were drawn from the study. Further discussions about and suggestions for educational gerontology were also provided.