College is a means for young people to secure good jobs, advance in their careers, achieve economic independence, and build social networks. For youth from foster care, college can mean freedom from their past and the ability to choose a future rich with possibilities.
Access to higher education for youth from care remains limited
Few students from foster care ever gain access to higher education programs, let alone graduate from college. Only 7 to 13 percent of students from foster care enroll in higher education. About 2 percent obtain bachelor's degrees, in contrast to 24 percent of adults in the general population.
Youth in foster care often report that few people in their lives ever expected them to attend and succeed in college. These students seldom receive the kind of guidance and stable supports needed to prepare for higher education. Too often, unemployment, underemployment, and homelessness face young adults after they age out of foster care.
Colleges and universities can help youth succeed
Colleges, policymakers, and advocates have begun to address this issue with calls for policy advances, practice innovations, and influential advocacy.
Casey Family Programs' framework-Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students from Foster Care-provides program development tools for college counselors, administrators, professors, and staff. It helps education professionals define a plan for improving their institution's support for students from foster care.