Skip to Main Content

This brief explores the types of institutions student parents attend and their enrollment patterns (e.g., full time or part time, online) compared with nonparenting students. We also present results by gender, and race/ethnicity to uncover potential inequities. Understanding of the types of institutions student parents attend and their enrollment patterns helps policymakers, researchers, and advocates identify disparities in access; provides insights for targeted policymaking at federal, state, and institutional levels; and informs tailored programs, support services, and academic offerings. We identified these patterns using the 2020 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.