The purpose of my study was to expand the existing body of research regarding spousal support needs of nontraditional students. Richard Lazarus's (1999) cognitive contextual stress and coping theory provided the framework for this qualitative, phenomenological, multi-case study. Qualitative themes were (a) "spousal support," (b) "student stress," (c) "benefits," and (d) "maturity." In addition, specific types of support provision nontraditional students need to successfully complete their educational goals, what their spouses provide in an effort to aid their partners in reaching their educational goals, and the interplay between those two perspectives were discovered and included among the findings. The effects of matched and unmatched support provision on the stress levels of nontraditional students were also explored. The results of the study reveal and reinforce the idea that nontraditional students believe they need spousal support in order to achieve overall educational success. More specifically, instrumental and emotional support were identified as the two most important support types required by this population. In the cases for which support provision was not matched with support need, there was evidence of higher overall stress levels and thoughts of attrition. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]