Student-Parents Student Life

About one in five college students or 22% of all undergraduate students are parents (Cruse, Holtzman, Gault, Croom, & Polk, 2019). Research shows that 2.7 million or 70% of students raising children while in college are mothers (Cruse, et al., 2019). Many student-parents enroll in community colleges, are more likely to be students of color, tend to be older than other students when enrolled in college, and have nearly twice the student loan debt as other students. Student-parents achieve higher GPA’s than others (Cruse, et al., 2019). Lack of childcare support can be a barrier for student-parents. UC San Diego understands that student-parents have competing responsibilities. Resources are available to support student-parents on their way to the degree.