The four million student parents who make up the postsecondary education population in the United States face unique barriers to success that reach far beyond the high cost of tuition. Of these four million students, 43 percent are single mothers, nearly 10 percent of the undergraduate population. Single mothers with only a high school diploma in the United States are three times more likely to live in poverty than when they hold a postsecondary degree. The high cost of postsecondary education, combined with the added expenses of raising children, makes it difficult for many student parents to afford continuing their education.
In this brief from HCM Strategists and Scholarship America, Rob Anderson of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association describes how several states are supporting student parents and leading efforts to embed emergency aid within broader postsecondary policy frameworks, highlighting these models as strategic investments that strengthen student outcomes and support long-term economic growth.