College students come from all walks of life. Some are fresh out of high school, and others have taken time away from school to work or start a family. Attending college when you’re a parent comes with some unique challenges, so it’s important to locate colleges that are supportive and accommodating of students with children. Some schools excel at catering to students with children, while others do not. That’s where our research comes in. We reviewed the best colleges for students with children so that you can balance your studies with your family life.
- Indiana University Southeast
- Baldwin Wallace University
- Misericordia University
- Endicott College
- College of Saint Mary
- St. Catherine University
- Mills College
- Wilson College
- University of Massachusetts
- Eastern Michigan University
- University of Iowa
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- Ferris State University
- Texas A&M University
- Brigham Young University
- University of Michigan
- Minnesota State University
- University of Memphis
- Texas Woman’s University
- Champlain College
Why This Matters
A growing number of college students are “nontraditional,” meaning that they’ve taken time off between high school and college and/or have life experiences — children, work, military service — that are not typical of the average college student. Anyone who’s a parent knows that raising children is a 24/7 vocation, so prospective college students with children need to find schools that meet the unique needs of parents.
The resources, flexibility, and support systems available to students with children vary by school. Some colleges are indirectly supportive of students with children through online and hybrid courses that can be completed on your own time. Others are more directly supportive of students with children, offering services such as discounted child care and nursing rooms on campus.
Attending college while raising children can be daunting, whether you’re a single parent or partnered. If you’re a parent, it’s critical that you find a college that will support you as a student with children.
Our Ranking Criteria
To create our list of the best colleges for students with children, we researched 28 colleges and universities across the U.S. and narrowed them down to this list of 20. We based our research off of the materials available online at each school’s website. Important criteria included flexible course scheduling, family-friendly location, and child care options.
The 20 Best Colleges for Students With Children
Indiana University Southeast
What sets Indiana University Southeast apart is its longstanding Children Center, a licensed daycare facility that primarily caters to students with children as well as faculty and staff with children. This on-site childcare center is open from 7am to 6pm and enrolls children ages three to twelve in hands-on activities, outdoor play, and meals and snacks. Students can study there knowing children are in good hands and close by.
- Location: New Albany, IN
- Intelligent Score: 96.98
- Average Tuition: $7,067 per year in-state; $19,926 per year out of state
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 2,523
Baldwin Wallace University
Baldwin Wallace University offers a range of flexible scheduling options to ensure that attending college fits in with the rest of your life and responsibilities. Students work one-on-one with an academic advisor to create a flexible schedule that can incorporate once-a-week evening classes, weeklong intensives, online and/or hybrid courses, traditional day classes, and early morning (before work) classes. The school goes out of its way to provide students with children the most flexible and accommodating scheduling options.
- Location: Berea, OH
- Intelligent Score: 96.40
- Average Tuition: $35,366 to $38,314 per year
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 3,102
Interested in a degree instead?
Learn more about online degrees, their start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Misericordia University
Home to the Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program, Misericordia University empowers single mothers living in poverty to better their lives and opportunities through attaining a college degree. The program provides year-round housing, highly subsidized child care, and extensive family enrichment programming for both mothers and children. By disrupting cycles of poverty, this program helps to change not only mothers’ lives, but the lives of their children as well.
- Location: Dallas, PA
- Intelligent Score: 95.35
- Average Tuition: $34,100 per year
- Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Student Enrollment: 1,832
Endicott College
Endicott College displays its commitment to supporting underrepresented and nontraditional students through its annual Single Parent and Multicultural Scholarship Program. This golf-based fundraiser, Endicott College Scholarship Classic, secures funds that help single parents and multicultural students achieve the dream of earning an undergraduate degree at Endicott. This financial support helps to make an Endicott education a reality for single parents and multicultural students.
- Location: Beverly, MA
- Intelligent Score: 92.91
- Average Tuition: $35,764 per year
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education
- Student Enrollment: 2,854
College of Saint Mary
Mothers Living & Learning, a nationally renowned and progressive program for single mothers, is one of College of Saint Mary’s crowning achievements. The program enables single mothers to earn a college degree while living on campus with their children ages six weeks to 10 years. Services include special workshops on parenting, a network of advisors, and access to the Spellman Child Development Center. The Single Parent Success program offers guidance on everything from finding a pediatrician to enrolling in a daycare program.
- Location: Omaha, NE
- Intelligent Score: 92.74
- Average Tuition: $21,800 per year
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 1,008
St. Catherine University
St. Catherine University is home to a comprehensive access and support network that caters to student-parents. Students with children are encouraged to speak with one of the social workers on staff, who can connect them with a wide range of resources related to child care, finances, food support, housing, transportation, healthcare, and more. The University also works closely with PACER, which helps families with children or young adults with disabilities from birth through childhood.
- Location: St. Paul, MN
- Intelligent Score: 91.75
- Average Tuition: $44,480 per year
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 2,523
Mills College
Mills is a small, close-knit liberal arts college for women and gender non-binary students. The school caters to students’ individual needs, and faculty are known for forging strong connections with their students and being flexible to students’ life circumstances, including the challenges of attending college while raising children. Recent graduates often express their gratitude for the individualized support they received at Mills, especially while navigating single parenthood. Mills prides itself on the diverse life experiences of its students.
- Location: Oakland, CA
- Intelligent Score: 91.59
- Average Tuition: $29,340 per year
- Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission
- Student Enrollment: 758
Wilson College
Collaborative and student-focused, Wilson College offers a unique Single Parent Scholars Program, providing no-cost family-friendly, on-campus housing to single parents and their children (between 20 months and 10 years of age) so that single parents can pursue a degree full time. The SPS includes special programming for mothers and children, from weekend movie nights to outdoor activities such as visiting the horses on the college farm. The SPS funds the cost of daycare and/or after-school care for eligible children.
- Location: Chambersburg, PA
- Intelligent Score: 89.80
- Average Tuition: $25,200 per year
- Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission
- Student Enrollment: 704
University of Massachusetts
UMass’s University Without Walls (UWW) offers students of all life stages and circumstances highly flexible degree options. Most UMass courses are offered simultaneously in-person for on-campus students and remotely for off-campus students. This flexibility enables students with children to fulfill their family responsibilities while working toward their degree. UMass’s UWW and flexible learning make it possible for students with children to work at their own pace, wherever they need to.
- Location: Amherst, MA
- Intelligent Score: 89.65
- Average Tuition: $16,439 per year in-state; $36,964 per year out of state
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education
- Student Enrollment: 27,933
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University’s Children’s Institute is an on-campus daycare center and preschool that serves children of EMU students, faculty, and staff. The institute offers full- and half-day programs. EMU also supports students with children through The Collaborative: Ypsilanti YMCA Child Development Center, which offers community-centered quality child care to low-income families in Ypsilanti and to EMU students with children.
- Location: Ypsilanti, MI
- Intelligent Score: 89.08
- Average Tuition: $12,116 per year in-state; $29,614 per year out of state
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 10,527
University of Iowa
University of Iowa demonstrates its commitment to students with children through two primary initiatives: the University Family Services Office and the Student-Parent Organization (SPO). The Family Services Office support systems include a child care subsidy, child care during final exams, scholarships for spring break camp, on-campus lactation rooms, back-up child care options, and a weekly support group. Meanwhile, SPO is a student-run organization that provides resources and peer support to students with (or expecting) children.
- Location: Iowa City, IA
- Intelligent Score: 85.75
- Average Tuition: $9,830 per year in-state; $31,793 per year out of state
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 28,035
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
For over 50 years, the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities has housed a unique Student Parent Help Center that supports students with children. The center offers community lounge and study spaces, child care assistance grants, a parents-as-students support group, and a teen parent outreach program. The center connects students with children with housing, food, and lactation services, and the university offers on-campus family housing.
- Location: Minneapolis, MN
- Intelligent Score: 84.12
- Average Tuition: $13,318 per year in-state; $31,616 per year out of state
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 38,398
Ferris State University
The resources for students with children at Ferris State University and in the surrounding areas are wide-ranging. They include affordable after-school/summer activities, an Early Learning Center that provides daycare services to children of students, faculty, and staff, and food and housing support. Big Rapids is home to a number of public, private, and charter schools as well as several community health centers and food banks.
- Location: Big Rapids, MI
- Intelligent Score: 83.47
- Average Tuition: $12,404 to $13,160 per year
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 8,598
Texas A&M University
Passionate about welcoming and supporting nontraditional college students, Texas A&M provides a network of resources for students with children. From “Aggies with Kids,” a lively listserv for student-parents, to non-traditional student appreciation week, to a non-traditional student Facebook group, Texas A&M supports and acknowledges the unique efforts of students with children. Families can live on campus in dedicated family housing, and the campus regularly hosts family-friendly events.
- Location: College Station, TX
- Intelligent Score: 83.17
- Average Tuition: $13,012 per year in-state; $40,896 per year out of state
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Student Enrollment: 56,200
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young equips its campus with abundant mother’s lounges and diaper changing decks. BYU offers scholarships to single parents in need of money and offers a much-loved health insurance plan that covers dependents from birth up to 26 years of age. The plan covers maternity care and the network of doctors is well respected by students.
- Location: Provo, UT
- Intelligent Score: 81.51
- Average Tuition: $6,120 per year for Latter-Day Saints; $12,240 per year for non-Latter-Day Saints
- Accreditation: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Student Enrollment: 31,923
University of Michigan
University of Michigan’s Center for the Education of Women is a leader in research related to supporting students with children. UMich has an extensive advocacy initiative dedicated to supporting student caregivers. Some of the support systems include child care subsidies, health insurance resources, counseling and psychological support services, on- and off-campus housing resources, lactation and personal care rooms on campus, and an open space for students and their children.
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
- Intelligent Score: 79.73
- Average Tuition: $15,948.38 per year in-state; $52,266.38 per year out of state
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 40,995
Minnesota State University
Minnesota State University welcomes a range of nontraditional students. The on-campus Women’s Center offers support to pregnant women and student-parents, providing a comfortable lounge, lactation station, breastmilk storage, and advocacy consultations about how to navigate parenthood and college at the same time. The Women’s Center also offers the Coplan Donohue Single Parent Scholarship. These support systems empower parents, particularly mothers, to pursue an education while raising a family.
- Location: Mankato, MI
- Intelligent Score: 77.09
- Average Tuition: $8,926 per year in-state; $17,724 per year out of state
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
- Student Enrollment: 11,027
University of Memphis
The Adult Student Services Center provides counseling, advising, resources, and flexible scheduling options to adult students. With a mix of on-campus and online course offerings, this is a good fit for students with children who need lots of flexibility. On campus are the Child Development Center, which provides daycare services, and the Barbara K. Lipman School, which offers full-time classes for children ages two to five years.
- Location: Memphis, TN
- Intelligent Score: 76.81
- Average Tuition: $9,936 per year in-state; $19,812 per year out of state
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Student Enrollment: 14,004
Texas Woman’s University
Texas Woman’s University is recognized nationally for its success in supporting students with children. In addition to on-campus family housing, the university offers programs through the Campus Alliance for Resource Education (CARE) Office. CARE helps parents obtain holiday gifts for their children, secures lactation spaces, and connects students with child care resources. CARE also hosts a student parent organization to connect peers in similar life circumstances.
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- Location: Denton, TX
- Intelligent Score: 75.57
- Average Tuition: $6,789 per year in-state; $12,660 per year out of state
- ditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Enrollment: 14,629
Champlain College
Since 1987, Champlain College’s Single Parents Program has welcomed single parents and empowered them to pursue an education. The Single Parents Scholarship meets the full tuition needs of qualifying Vermont-resident single parents. The SPP also hosts a range of family-friendly community events and parenting-focused workshops and seminars. On-campus support services include an individual student resources coordinator, free tutoring, free mental health counseling, free career advising, and access to jobs with varying time commitment requirements.
- Location: Burlington, VT
- Intelligent Score: 74.76
- Average Tuition: $42,564 per year
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education
- Student Enrollment: 2,100
What Are the Benefits of Attending College as a Parent?
Attending college as a student with children can be much more complicated than attending college without any dependents to care for. However, the impact of earning a degree while caring for children is arguably even greater than the impact of earning a degree on your own. In choosing to pursue an education, you set yourself up for better employment opportunities and therefore set your children up for a more stable, secure future. You also model for your children the importance of education and what it takes to succeed in school.
If you choose to attend a college with strong support services for students with children, then you can also benefit from on-campus family housing, free or subsidized daycare and after-school care, family health insurance, counseling, and a variety of other resources. When you’re a parent, an investment in yourself is also an investment in your children and their future.
Who Should Attend College as a Student With Children?
Parents thinking about going back to school to earn a college degree need to take into account several important considerations. Some of these depend on your individual circumstances: How old/independent are your children? How much outside support do you have? What do your finances look like? What do you hope to achieve through earning a college degree?
You should have a clear goal in mind and be realistic about what you’re able to afford and where you need additional support. The colleges included in this guide offer everything from financial support to daycare services to pregnancy and lactation support, so it’s very likely there are colleges out there that can meet your specific needs.