Predictors of College Degree Completion among Students with Foster Care Experience in California

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: Division J - Section 2c: Assessing College Student Success and Impact Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

Students with experience in foster care (SEFC) are an educationally vulnerable group, yet little is known about college degree completion rates at different institutional types and how they compare with students without foster care experience, who are first-generation, or from low-income backgrounds. This study examined college completion rates and factors associated with outcomes using the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH), the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), and the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS 12/17). Findings indicate that SEFC continue to lag behind their non-foster care peers in college completion across institutional types, and reveal disparities among subgroups of students. This study has implications for policy, practice, and future research for improved educational and economic outcomes for SEFC.

Authors

• Nathanael J. Okpych, University of Connecticut

• Jennifer Geiger, University of Illinois at Chicago