A new report has analyzed the financial barriers that impact California student parents seeking a postsecondary degree.
According to California Competes’ report, “Clarifying the True Cost of College for Student Parents,” only 12% of student parents countrywide complete a degree, compared to 46% of their peers without children.
Across the country, there are 3.8 million student parents enrolled in higher education institutions, while in California, there are 486,454 student parents.
“I’d imagine there would be many, many more if we had a better pathway for students to go to college,” said Dr. Su Jin Gatlin Jez, executive director at California Competes.
One of the main findings of the report was that net price calculators miscalculate the cost of college for low-income student parents.
The net price calculator, a federally implemented tool, estimates the total cost of college including the amount of grant aid and net price of attendance for one academic year. To calculate the information, students input their income, living situation and family status.
However, despite the net price calculator listing dependents as an option, it ultimately does not adjust the total cost for student parents.
