A new study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research finds that 4.8 million college students today are raising children while enrolled in higher education. This is 26 percent of all students enrolled in higher education. Women make up 71 percent of all student parents. There are more than 2 million single women parents enrolled in college. They make up 43 percent of the total student parent population.
Here are some other interesting statistics from the report:
* Approximately 2.1 million student parents attend community college. This represents about 30 percent of all community college enrollments.
* Some 47 percent of all African American women enrolled in undergraduate programs have children. For White women, the figure is 29 percent.
* Only 33 percent of student parents go on to earn a degree within six years of their initial enrollment.
* Of the women students who graduate, women with children have average debt of $29,452 one year after completing their degree program. Women graduates without children had average debt of $25,638.
The study, 4.8 Million College Students Are Raising Children, may be downloaded here.