If you’re a pregnant or parenting student, a support system can make it much easier for you to finish your education. This can include special housing, childcare, financial help, mentoring, and more. This article will highlight a few colleges that offer exceptional resources for student-parents.
- Texas Woman’s University (TWU) is the nation’s best college for parenting students, according to BestColleges. They offer:
- Family housing with 2-3 bedrooms and a fridge, stove, and dishwasher for full-time students with children.
- Two food pantries on campus, which students can visit weekly.
- Three lactation rooms on campus.
- A student organization called Student Parents Also Raising Kids, which creates a community of student-parents and offers family-friendly activities.
- A holiday gift program that matches anonymous donors with children of TWU students.
- Family graduation ceremonies to allow children to participate in their parents’ graduation.
- The average cost to attend TWU after financial aid, including housing, is $11,627. Pell-eligible students who are Texas residents are guaranteed to have all financial need met.
- The University of North Texas (UNT) also provides various support programs for student-parents. This includes:
- Free childcare, pet care, senior care, and educational programs through the Complete Care program.
- Five on-campus lactation rooms.
- A food pantry that eligible students can visit weekly.
- Children’s programs, financial education programs, and other programs that benefit parenting students.
- The average cost to attend UNT after financial aid, including housing, is $11,915 per year. UNT provides scholarships, grants, financial aid, loans, and payment plans to make this more affordable.
- Wilson College in Pennsylvania was recognized by The Best Colleges as the 2020 best school for single parents. This small, private, rural college provides:
- A child care center on campus.
- Year-round family housing for student-parents.
- Various family group activities through the Single Parent Scholar Program.
- 13 academic scholarships, as well as five endowments specifically to fund childcare for single parents.
- Wilson costs $22,200 to attend after financial aid, on average. However, Wilson is dedicated to meeting students’ financial need and offers significant aid to low-income students.
- St. Catherine University, a private women’s college in Minnesota, won Generation Hope’s FamilyU Seal, which honors schools that exceptionally support student-parents. It also ranks third on The Best Colleges’ 2020 list of the best schools for single parents. It offers:
- A College for Adults, which offers flexible online or hybrid courses. It also offers accelerated programs and other accommodations for your schedule.
- The St. Catherine’s Access and Success program, which helps student-parents find local child care, food banks, scholarships, housing, and more.
- An Early Childhood Center, a Montessori program, and babysitting on campus.
- Lactation rooms and study spaces attached to playrooms.
- The average net price to attend St. Catherine’s is $19,252 per year, after financial aid. The university offers scholarships, need-based aid, and low-interest loans.
- George Mason University (GMU), a large public university in Fairfax, Virginia also won Generation Hope’s FamilyU award for their services to student-parents. Its services include:
- A website for student-parents that offers parenting resources, community resources, financial assistance, and information about student-parents’ rights.
- The Mason Child Development Center, which offers a play-based preschool program on campus. It also offers childcare for older children when school isn’t in session. GMU families receive tuition discounts.
- The Mason Adult Student Union, to provide support for adult and non-traditional students.
- Affordable healthcare to all students and free visits to GMU’s healthcare providers.
- Connecting student-parents to organizations and parenting classes.
- The average cost of attendance, including housing, is $18,841 per year after aid. However, in-state tuition is significantly lower, even before financial aid. Also, GMU connects its students with scholarships specifically for student-parents, along with other financial resources.
These are just a few of the colleges with strong support systems for parenting students. To find other parenting-friendly colleges, you can see other recipients of the FamilyU Award here. If paying for your education is a concern, you can find scholarships specifically for student-parents here. And finally, check out the articles in the “Learn” section of this helpsite for more resources. You can find the support you need to finish your degree as a parent!
By Clare Hettich
Sources:
- https://www.inforney.com/texas/how-denton-colleges-are-taking-care-of-their-students-who-are-also-parents/article_52a9ba0a-6d78-54c1-a741-99471f6d0487.html?=/&subcategory=640%7CConcert
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/texas-womans-university/tuition-and-costs
- https://twu.edu/zero/
- https://www.unt.edu/
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/university-of-north-texas
- https://thebestcolleges.org/the-20-best-colleges-for-single-parents/
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/wilson-college/tuition-and-costs
- https://www.wilson.edu/financial-aid
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/st-catherine-university/tuition-and-costs
- https://masonfamily.gmu.edu/my-family/student-parents/campus-resources/
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/george-mason-university