Post-Secondary Education

This study builds on previous research to understand longer term housing experiences in late adolescence and early adulthood for vulnerable college students. Using a biographical, qualitative method, we study high school and college housing and family circumstances for 27 students with homelessness or foster care experience enrolled in 4-year colleges in Georgia. We identified three different housing pathway types in high school—family homelessness, unaccompanied youth and foster care. Housing instability and frequent moves were common in high school among all housing pathway types. In college, students who were able to find low or no-cost housing and those who identified a foster care pathway in high school achieved greater housing stability. Others students experienced a continuation of housing instability that began in high school. Additional funding to cover the cost of on-campus housing would likely contribute to increased stability. Additional strategies, such as rental assistance programmes tailored for college students, may be needed to address housing instability for vulnerable college students. More research on the unmet housing needs and the consequences of housing instability during college for homeless and foster youth is needed to further a housing policy agenda that focuses on practical solutions.

Community college is the most common pathway into postsecondary education among young people in foster care. This pathway is a logical choice for both academic and financial reasons. Many young people in foster care with aspirations for postsecondary education need remediation before they are prepared for college-level coursework. Young people in foster care stand to benefit both academically and financially from starting at a community college. That said, few studies have examined the experiences of community college students who are or were in foster care. This mixed-methods study with funding from the Spencer Foundation was conducted to learn more about the experiences of Illinois community college students who are or were in foster care. The research included three main components: Administrative Data Analysis; Document Review; and Semi-Structured Interviews.

This chapter examines what we know about the disparity in postsecondary educational attainment between youth in foster care and their non-foster care peers, the reasons for it, and the policies and programs that have been developed to address that disparity. It also discusses the unique role that community colleges can play in reducing this disparity.

The rising price of higher education and its implications for equity and accessibility have been extensively documented, but the material conditions of students’ lives are often overlooked. Data from more than 30,000 two- and 4-year college students indicate that approximately half are food insecure, and recent estimates suggest that at least 20% of 2-year college students have very low levels of food security. At least one-third of 2-year students are housing insecure, including up to 14% who are homeless, whereas between 11% and 19% of 4-year students are housing insecure. Most of these students work and receive financial aid, but only a fraction receives public or private assistance to help make ends meet. Implications for research on college affordability and efforts to boost college graduation rates are discussed.