Motivated but Underserved: Supporting Student Parents on the Path to a Bachelor’s Degree

Oct 15, 2026

Motivated but Underserved explains why student parents—college students raising dependent children—face frequent stop-outs and low bachelor’s degree completion. It contrasts outcomes for student parents versus nonparenting students, highlighting particularly inequitable results for student mothers. The brief outlines barriers including fragmented transfer policies, unclear requirements, limited advising, affordability challenges, and constraints in child care, transportation, and housing, and argues for student parent-centered policies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Completion Outcomes for Student Parents

The Need for Student Parent-Centered Policies and Practices

Endnotes

QUICK FIGURE IWPR \#Q121 September 2025 Motivated but Underserved: Supporting Student Parents on the Path to a Bachelor’s Degree Student parents—college students with dependent children—are highly motivated to succeed in college. They pursue degrees not only to achieve economic mobility for themselves but also to secure a better future for their children.1 Despite their high aspirations, they encounter significant barriers that contribute to frequent stop-outs—withdrawing from college for some period and returning later.2 When discussing student parents, the focus often centers on sub-baccalaureate degrees and credentials such as associate’s degrees or certificates earned at community colleges, since these programs are of shorter duration and can more quickly support career advancement or entry into new fields, even for those already employed while pursuing their education. While these credentials can lead to good jobs,3 bachelor’s degrees open the door to a larger proportion (34 percent) of all good jobs compared to associate’s degrees (10 percent) or some college/certificates (12 percent),4 and serve as a gateway to graduate and professional degrees. The economic advantages of bachelor’s degrees are also very clear. Median lifetime earnings are much higher for those with a bachelor’s degree ($2,003,000) than for those with an associate’s degree ($1,386,000) or those with some college but no degree ($1,120,000) .5 This makes bachelor’s degree completion a critical outcome for students raising children. Since more than half of student parents are enrolled in community colleges,6 improving transfer and bachelor’s degree completion rates for this population should be a policy priority for postsecondary institutions as well as policymakers. Completion Outcomes for Student Parents Six years after beginning coursework at a community college, only 4.6 percent of student parents earned a bachelor’s degree as their highest credential, compared to 13.9 percent of nonparenting students (Figure 1) . Similarly, student parents’associate’s degree completion rates lag behind those of nonparenting students (12.3 and 18.9 percent, respectively) . Outcomes are particularly inequitable for student mothers, who make up about threequarters of all student parents.7 Only 3.4 percent complete a bachelor’s degree within six years, compared to 7.0 percent of student fathers (Figure 2) . Figure 1. Highest Degree Earned Six Years After First Enrolling in Community College No degree Certificate Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree Source: IWPR generated this figure using data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Beginning Postsecondary Students, 2012/2017. The analysis can be recreated with the variables ATHTY6Y, DEPCHILD, and FSECTOR using DataLab ( [https://nces.ed.gov/datalab/powerstats/table/](https://nces.ed.gov/datalab/powerstats/table/)[ ](https://nces.ed.gov/datalab/powerstats/table/)[nvklue](nvklue); free account required) . Low bachelor’s degree completion rates highlight the challenges student parents face in navigating transfer pathways. Some of those challenges are shared by all students, including fragmented and inconsistent transfer policies across states and institutions; lack of clear, accurate information about transfer requirements, limited advising and guidance; and broader systemic issues such as affordability and lack of strong collaboration between two-and four-year institutions.8 For student parents, these barriers are compounded by additional responsibilities and constraints. College affordability becomes even more challenging with added expenses of raising children. Limited access to affordable child care, lack of reliable transportation, and housing insecurity further impede their ability to persist.9 These Figure 2. Highest Degree Earned Six Years After First Enrolling in Community College for Student Mothersand Fathers No degree Certificate Associate’s degree Bachelor’s de

FAQs

How do student parents’ bachelor’s degree completion rates compare with nonparenting students?

Six years after starting at community college, only 4.6% of student parents earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with 13.9% of nonparenting students.

What differences exist between student mothers and student fathers?

Student mothers have lower completion: 3.4% complete a bachelor’s degree within six years versus 7.0% for student fathers, based on Figure 2.

What barriers hinder student parents from completing transfer and bachelor’s degrees?

Barriers include inconsistent transfer policies, lack of clear information and advising, and broader affordability and weak collaboration between two- and four-year institutions, compounded by child care limitations, unreliable transportation, and housing insecurity.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Maya Linwood