Picture starting your day dropping your child at daycare, heading to class, working a shift, squeezing in homework, then racing to pick your child up—all before dinner. That is often the reality for student parents attending college.
According to the Spark Collaborative, student parents make up 18 percent of college undergraduates nationwide. The numbers are especially significant among Black students.
Among all racial and ethnic groups, Black college students are most likely to be parents, with 33 percent raising children while enrolled. Black women face especially steep hurdles in higher education, with two out of every five raising children while enrolled in college.
For some, the challenge goes far beyond numbers. Dr. Angela Howell, Associate Professor of Sociology at Morgan State University, recalls one standout student, Joseanne Lopez, a sociology major who quietly navigated pregnancy and motherhood while excelling academically.
“She was expecting in her sophomore year in my class, and she hid it from me and most people at the university throughout the entirety of her pregnancy,” said Howell. “She didn’t tell me until she was about ready to deliver. I think the reason why she didn’t want to tell me is because she wasn’t the profile of the typical parent, meaning it wasn’t that she came back to school and was already a parent, and it wasn’t that she was a sort of marginal student. She was one of our stars.”
Lopez had the support of her mother and her mother-in-law (father’s mother), who alternated caring for her son while she and the father attended class. But the experience was emotionally taxing.
“She’s the kind of person that could have really benefited from having housing that would have allowed her to have her son on campus,” said Howell. “During the week, he was never with her and that was very emotionally challenging. Even if she had been able to have him two or three days a week on campus, that would have helped quite a bit.”
Student caregivers represent a notable portion of the undergraduate population, yet their needs are often missing from campus planning. Most colleges provide general support services, but few offer family-specific resources, especially when it comes to housing options that can support both academic and parenting responsibilities.
Student parents often face logistical challenges that impact their academic experience, including long commutes and limited access to nearby childcare. Housing located on or near campus that allows children can reduce travel time and simplify daily routines. Some institutions say these accommodations help student parents manage their schedules more effectively and remain enrolled through graduation.
Morgan State University is currently constructing a 473-bed off-campus residential complex named the Enolia, in honor of civil rights pioneer Enolia McMillan, the first woman to lead the NAACP and the grandmother of Howell. Scheduled to open in July, the complex aims to support the university’s growing student body.
Morgan’s upcoming residential complex is designed to serve traditional undergraduates, but university officials and faculty have raised questions about whether future developments could also address the needs of student parents.
Even though Howell hasn’t seen the room layouts, she believes that if they can be adapted to accommodate student parents and their children, then the university should consider doing so.
“I just think it would be such a great opportunity, especially for students who are really looking to take care of their children and be scholars and grow,” she said.
While few universities have created housing that meets the specific needs of student parents, some models do exist and offer clear inspiration for those willing to implement them.
At Wilson College in rural Pennsylvania, their Single Parent Scholar Program (SPS) has provided campus housing to single mothers since 1996. Now open to single fathers as well, the program allows parents to live on campus year-round with up to two children.
“We have an endowment that covers the cost of childcare, so they have to find childcare in the community, and we’ll pay as long as it’s an accredited and licensed facility,” said Katie Kough, Dean of Students at Wilson College. “We’ve recently also been able to cover their cost of housing.”
According to Wilson College’s website, students in the Single Parent Scholars Program live in Prentis Hall, where each family is assigned a two-room suite with a private bathroom.
Student parents living in the suites have access to basic furnishings, including a twin bed, dresser, desk and chair. The building also features central air conditioning for added comfort.
One limitation of this housing arrangement is that students are not allowed to have roommates. The housing is strictly reserved for program participants and their children—meaning friends, partners, or other family members cannot live with them.
“We’ve had student parents as young as 18, I’ve had a mom in her 40s, so we don’t have an age limit. They’re still considered traditional students because they’re in that program,” said Kough. “The kids have to be at least 20 months old by the time the mom or the parent starts.”
As a result, parents with newborns or younger toddlers must wait until their child is older before becoming eligible for the program.
Students in the program are also responsible for paying tuition and covering the cost of a meal plan. If they receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, students can enroll in at least the basic plan, about 10 meals per week, to maintain eligibility.
“We don’t charge for the kids to eat in the dining hall. I mean, they don’t put a huge dent in the food supply anyway, so we just charge the student a board rate,” said Kough.
According to Kough, student interest in the program has dipped slightly since the pandemic, leading the college to reevaluate and adapt.
“To keep the program growing and keep interest in it, that’s when we decided to offer the housing waiver. But we had to sort of shrink the maximum capacity at that point,” she said.
At present, Prentis Hall provides 12 suites across two floors. While each floor typically accommodates four families, the building could support additional residents. All families share a common kitchen.
While Wilson College is a small, private institution, the success of its program proves that creative housing models for student parents are possible, even in older buildings.
Public institutions are working to meet student family needs as well.
The University of Michigan Northwood IV and V townhouses come unfurnished, with two pr three bedrooms, allowing student families to bring in their own furniture and set up the space according to their needs.
The complexes on Michigan’s North Campus provide housing not only for student parents but also for other non-traditional students, including caregivers of older relatives and married undergraduates.
These townhouses are considered on-campus housing, owned and managed directly by the university rather than a third-party landlord. They are open to both graduate and undergraduate students.
“We do allow undergrad students to live in what we refer to kind of as family and graduate housing. But not a lot of them are aware, and we’re hesitant,” said Rick Gibson, Director of Housing at the University of Michigan. “We’ve made some changes on our website to be transparent, to let them know that you can apply as well, if this is the type of accommodation that you need.”
Michigan currently offers about 1,500 family housing units, with varying sizes to accommodate couples or families with children. Some units, like those in Northwood V, are unfurnished for students who already own their furniture. Others are partially furnished to ease the move-in process.
Some of the community amenities offered at Northwood include basketball and volleyball courts, outdoor grills, a shared courtyard, on-site parking, 24-hour maintenance services and round-the-clock security. However, one major challenge that the university has is availability.
“For undergrads, during our returning student process this year, we had 1,100 spaces reserved for next year, and the applications were 2,300,” said Gibson. “We had a waitlist of about 1,200, but we tell the students, ‘Look, we don’t have a space for you now, but if something becomes available, we’ll let you know.’”
There’s no official furniture assistance program, but Michigan’s sustainability team is developing systems to collect gently used items left behind at the end of the year and redistribute them to students in need.
Dining plans are optional for graduate students and their families, but first-year undergrads are required to have one. And although kids must pay for meals in dining halls, there are no restrictions preventing student parents from bringing their children to eat with them.
Beyond family-style apartment complexes, the University of Michigan is also adapting its traditional residence halls to accommodate students with children.
“Now, in our undergrad halls—my office, for example, is in the lower level of a residence hall that has about a thousand students living above me—they’re going to allow all married students and students with children to live here.”
Institutions have begun addressing the shortage of housing for student parents, but these efforts often require significant time, funding, and planning. As more students balance academics with parenthood, campuses are exploring new ways to meet their unique needs.
With the number of student parents rising nationwide, universities face growing challenges in providing adequate housing options that accommodate families.
