The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the family environment of women who have shifted from the role of wife/mother to that of wife/mother/student. The Moos Family Environment Scale and the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale were utilized. Subjects were 39 married couples in which the wife was a returning college student and 39 couples in which the wife was primarily a homemaker. The results indicated that the families of women returning to college differed from the families of nonreturnees on a number of dimensions, suggesting both positive and negative aspects of the wife's returning to school. Such findings could have implications for counseling women who are returning to college. The need for longitudinal studies to determine the impact on the family created by a woman's return to school is suggested. (KA)