The focus of this paper is the part-time adult student in university studies. Universities in this country are making tentative moves to increase the numbers of adult students, but, in general, have not thought seriously about the issues involved, particularly the use of adult students' prior work experience. Whilst there is some agreement that this should be utilised there is a danger of a simplistic approach because of the difficult conceptual and practical problems concealed in this desirable aim. First, in terms of access, where prior work experience has been accepted as an alternative to formal admission requirements. the emphasis tends to be on duration and level. This is useful in terms of a sociill policy designed to broaden the base of recruitment but it can present problems by admitting those who lack the necessary conceptual knowledge and study skills. Using the nature and source of the work experience will not help either because, even if these could be objectively specified, information would still be needed about the individual's study and learning potential. The stress, therefore, needs to be on the quality of learning derived from work experience and procedures need to be constructed which facilitate, through reflective activity, the specification of the perceived learning outcomes of work experience. Secondly, it would be contradictory to select students on the basis of experience-derived learning and organise curricula without taking this into account. A central question is whether curricula can be made more 'relevant' to the needs of adult students. Needs are complex and not easily made manifest. There is a danger that needs are interpreted solely on the basis of jobs and occupations and curricula become narrow and trivial. Students need to be able to make something of their experience. Thus a 'deep' approach to learning requires a 'deep' approach to using experience. This can, again, be facilitated through reflective activity. Needs can be made manifrst, learning intentions elicited and experience can become a productive resource in learning. Teachers require a range of skills which are not always part of the repertoire of pedagogical techniques possessed by the average university teacher. Teachers must be able to work experientially with students. The social relationship is also important since it helps to define a structure of authority which may impede operationalisation of curricula based on using prior work experience. Negotiated curricula have been seen as a way forward. But here too, there may be problems since adults need to feel 'empowered', both cognitively and affectively, before they can engage in negotiation. Access and curricula have, therefore, to be considered together and the way forward in both areas might be to emphasise the learning outcomes of prior work experience rather than the experience per se. Reflective activity can play a key role, and mechanisms to operationalise this need to be constructed. The means of broadening access would then more readily provide means of assessing the likelihood of students being able to cope. In the end, however, much depends on the readiness of institutions to adapt from inducting adult students into 'high culture' into providing a variety of flexible access routes and learning opportunities geared to the needs and situation of those students.