Redesigning Higher Education for Student Parents
September marks National Student Parent Month — a nationwide moment, designated by the U.S. Senate, to recognize the millions of college students balancing coursework with caregiving. It acknowledges that student parents are central to the future of workforce development, economic mobility and multigenerational opportunity.
It is also a time to ask a bigger question: If nearly one in five undergraduate students in the U.S. is raising a child, what would it look like for higher education to design around them as the rule, not the exception?
In online classrooms across the country, millions of these students expertly manage assignments with caregiving, study time with bedtime routines, and capstones with full-time work. Student parents finesse finances so they can pay tuition and put food on the table.
As higher ed institutions and our partners improve access, persistence and meet changing workforce demands, student parents offer an essential lesson: Supporting today’s learners requires redesigning education around the real lives of students outside the classroom.
Meet the Students We’re Building For
None of this is theoretical to me or my colleagues at WGU. When I hear stories like Ferdie Santos’s, I am reminded of why this work matters so deeply. It’s typically close to 10 p.m. when Ferdie logs into his WGU coursework. The house is finally quiet after a long day of work, school pick-ups and dinner.
Like many adult learners, Ferdie is a first-generation student balancing competing demands across work, family, and education. Supported by flexible scheduling, asynchronous courses, a dedicated program mentor and WGU’s Student Parent Community, he is on track to graduate with his MBA this year.
“I want my two daughters to see, by example, that growth is a lifelong journey and that we can continue to pursue our purpose no matter how busy life becomes,” says Ferdie, who is also a military veteran.
Ferdie’s story highlights a broader truth. When a student parent earns a degree, the benefits do not stop with that individual. It shapes their children’s aspirations, strengthens family financial stability and changes the trajectory for generations to come.
WGU MBA student Ferdie Santos with his wife and two daughters.
Talent We Cannot Afford to Lose
Student parents are among the most motivated, resilient learners in higher education. They pursue degrees not only to advance their own careers, but to build better futures for their families.
And yet, they face persistent structural barriers:
- Childcare Shortages: Nearly half of young children nationwide live in a licensed childcare desert, severely limiting time for study and class attendance.
- Scheduling Rigidity: Fixed timelines and in-person requirements can be difficult to align with full-time jobs or caregiving emergencies.
- Financial Strain: Balancing tuition costs with household expenses creates constant economic pressure.
- Isolation: Without dedicated peer networks, many student parents feel disconnected from college communities.
The consequence is systemic. When student parents quit college or never enroll, communities lose talent, employers lose skilled workers and families lose pathways to economic stability.
The question is no longer whether higher education should support student parents — it is whether we can afford not to.
Internal research suggests that more than half of WGU students may be parents. Strengthening our ability to identify student parents is essential to ensure they receive the resources, support and opportunities needed to complete their degrees. That’s the gap our Student Parent Research Initiative is working to close.
Building Solutions Through Listening
Launched by WGU with support from the Michelson 20MM Foundation, the California Online Student Parent Research Initiative, relies on large-scale surveys, student advisory groups and real-time data to listen directly to student parents to understand where systems fail them and what helps them thrive. These insights will culminate in a Student Parent Success Playbook created by WGU, set for public release in early 2028, offering actionable strategies that colleges and universities nationwide can adopt.
Nikila Walker Gibson, a WGU Student Parent Advocate and psychology student, is one of the voices shaping that work. Balancing two businesses, homeschooling her four daughters, and completing her degree around small pockets of time, she captures why flexibility matters: “Attending WGU was the first time I could see myself completing my degree. It’s something I did for myself after taking care of everyone else.”
Nikila Walker Gibson with three of her four daughters.
Work on this initiative has reinforced three core tenets of true higher-ed innovation.
Design starts with listening. The most effective support models are built directly from lived experience — student parents helping shape the very systems designed to serve them.
Insights must scale beyond state lines. Solutions developed in California should serve as an adaptable model for institutions across the nation.
Student parent success has a multigenerational impact. When you support one parent through graduation, you quietly invest in a family’s next 50 years.
A National Call to Action
Every city, state and workforce ecosystem is grappling with how to upskill adults who are balancing work and family responsibilities. Supporting student parents is not just an academic initiative — it is a workforce strategy, an economic mobility strategy and a family-strengthening strategy.
This is an invitation to take action.
- To employers: Partner with institutions to build flexible education pipelines that reflect the modern workforce.
- To policymakers: Create funding models and policies that recognize caregiving as a standard reality of modern life.
- To philanthropic partners: Invest in scalable, data-driven solutions that drive degree completion and long-term economic mobility.
Student parents are already doing the hard work. The role of institutions and partners is to meet them there. And when families like Ferdie’s succeed, communities rise with them.
