The report, "Supporting Young Parents in Higher Education," draws on five years of pilot programs across community colleges in Austin, Texas; Miami-Dade County, Florida; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The study focused on parents aged 18-24, a population that includes approximately 275,000 undergraduate students nationwide.
According to the report, 52% of parenting students left college without a degree in the 2015-2016 academic year, compared to 32% of students who were not parents. The research identifies several key barriers contributing to these higher dropout rates, including financial insecurity, lack of child care, social isolation, and inflexible academic policies.
"Young parenting students are more likely than older parenting students to report mental health challenges including depression, substance use and low self-esteem," the report states. Many also struggle with basic needs: 34% of undergraduate parents could not come up with $500 for an emergency, compared with 15% of students without children.
The financial burden on parenting students is particularly acute. Among those pursuing associate degrees, 57% take out student loans compared to 33% of non-parenting students. Black mothers face the highest debt burden, with more than one-third taking out more than $27,000 in loans for undergraduate studies.
The Casey Foundation's Expanding Opportunities for Young Families (EOYF) initiative, launched in 2019, tested support programs at three community college sites. Miami Dade College's Mission North Star program, which served 160 young parenting students and 202 children in the 2023-2024 academic year, helped students earn 59 degrees and credentials since 2021.
"Mission North Star gave me the financial resources I needed to afford college and connected me to programs that helped me grow as a parent," said Khalil Peters, a former program participant. "They've taught me how to manage my time and handle the pressures of being a full-time student, employee and father."
The report's demographic data reveals significant disparities among parenting students. Between 2018 and 2022, 9% of American Indian or Alaska Native young adults were parents, compared to 8% of Hispanic or Latino, 7% of Black, and 5% of white young adults. Nationally, 86% of undergraduate parents are female, 65% are people of color, and 44% are first-generation college students.
The study recommends both institutional and policy changes. At the college level, recommendations include creating dedicated liaisons for parenting students, establishing emergency funds, and implementing family-friendly campus policies. The report also calls for better data collection, noting that most institutions don't know which students are parents because federal and state governments don't require colleges to track parenting status.
Policy recommendations include expanding child-care access, providing campus-based support services, and reforming financial aid programs to better serve parenting students. Several states have already enacted relevant legislation: California requires priority class registration for parenting students, Texas mandates campus liaisons, and Minnesota established grants for supporting pregnant and parenting students.
The report highlights the broader economic benefits of supporting young parents in higher education. Research shows that a single mother with an associate degree will earn roughly $329,500 more over her lifetime than she would with a high school education, or $625,000 more with a bachelor's degree.
"Education and training increase parenting students' earning potential, allowing them to provide greater financial stability for their children and to strengthen their communities with a skilled workforce," the report concludes.
The research comes as colleges nationwide grapple with declining enrollment and efforts to improve student retention. With 3 million undergraduate parents currently enrolled in higher education, the report suggests that better supporting this population could significantly impact overall college completion rates.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation plans to continue its work in this area, with Miami Dade College already developing plans to scale its successful pilot program to an estimated 15,000 student parents across the institution's eight campuses.
