Meet Jayna
A mother of two working as an assistant educator at a child care center while completing the community college courses she’d stopped-out of…
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About Risers
Why Risers?
The demographics of students in higher education are evolving. Today's postsecondary students are older, more financially independent, and more likely to be raising children than ever before. Student parents are often overlooked, despite making up nearly a quarter of the student body, with many colleges unaware of the number of student parents enrolled. Current systems and structures prioritize “traditional” students—18 year olds, arriving directly from high school.
This is a lost opportunity. Student parents are a vital and valuable part of the postsecondary system. They are exceptionally motivated to succeed, for both themselves and their children. This is why we call them Risers. Risers are resilient and resourceful, and they outperform students without children. With the right support, they can realize their incredible potential.
By acknowledging the existence of Risers, understanding their unique needs and strengths, and actively seeking to improve the likelihood of their completion, we can ensure the success of student parents and create a path for families that leads to increased economic mobility, improved well-being, and overall better outcomes for parents and their children.
Raising Dreams
From the filmmakers behind First Generation and Unlikely comes the short film Raising Dreams, an intimate portrait of two student parents on their postsecondary journey. This documentary featurette uncovers the challenges and triumphs as well as the need for innovative solutions to ensure parents have the support to complete their degrees.
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Learn about the realities and resourcefulness of Risers.
Meet Daniel
A first-time father juggling multiple jobs, he's enrolled in school to reach his dreams of providing a quality life for his growing family…
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Meet Amanda
A mom of three young children taking advantage of her employer’s tuition support program to take software development classes. Just as…
View StoryStudent Parents: Who are they?
Of the 17 million students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs across the US, nearly 1 in 4 are student parents.
Source: IWPR, 2019
A vast portion of the 36 million adults with some college credit but no degree are student parents.
Source: NSCRC, 2019
Only 13% of student parents will graduate within six years.
A large portion of the 16 million students enrolled in trade schools, vocational training programs, and bootcamps or alternative college pathways are student parents.
Source: NCES, 2019
Supporting student parents drives economic mobility:
A $1,000 increase in family income results in up to a 27% increase in child cognitive development.
Source: Cooper and Stewart, 2017 for LSE
Single mothers who complete a bachelor’s degree are predicted to earn over $610K more over their lifetimes than those with a high school diploma.
Source: IWPR, 2018
But they face many barriers:
Parents of preschool-aged children only have 10 hours a day—after paid work, housework, and child care—to fit in sleeping, eating, leisure activities, studying, and college courses.
Source: Wladis et al, 2018 for CUNY
In a recent study, student parents who used on-campus child care were 3x as likely to complete college. However, the current supply of on-campus child care only meets 5% of the need.
Student parents are less likely to qualify for state and federal financial aid — and tuition assistance can threaten eligibility for government benefits such as low-income support programs.
Source: USDA, 2020,
Young Invincibles, 2018
Parenting stress in postsecondary education is strongly correlated with significant and persistent health concerns.
Source: Scharp and Hall, 2017