Crossing the Finish Line: Factors That Influence College Degree Completion for Students with Foster Care Backgrounds

Background: Students with foster care backgrounds are an extremely educationally disadvantaged group, with significantly lower postsecondary enrollment and completion rates than their non-foster peers (Okpych, Geiger, & Johnson, 2023). Since few studies have evaluated postsecondary outcomes for this population, little is known about the factors associated with postsecondary completion and what disparities might exist across minoritized groups. This study aimed to contribute to the body of knowledge by: (1) assessing disparities in postsecondary completion for racial and sexual minoritized students, and (2) identifying student-level and college-level factors that promote and hinder postseco­ndary completion.

Methods: To examine these questions, we used logistic regression to analyze secondary data from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH), a longitudinal panel study that followed a representative sample of 727 youth in California foster care into adulthood. Degree completion was assessed at age 27/28 from data obtained from the National Student Clearinghouse. Drawing on Tinto’s theory of college student departure to inform variable selection, we examined pre-college attributes (e.g., demographics, academic history, behavioral health), external demands encountered by students while they were enrolled (e.g., parenting, economic hardships), foster care experiences and supports, and characteristics of the college. Multiple imputation was used to address missing data.

Results: Among the 466 youth who enrolled in college, about 20% completed a postsecondary credential (certificate or degree) within six years of enrolling. We did not find statistically significant (p<.05) differences by race or ethnicity, but females were more likely than males to graduate. There was a marginally statistically significant difference (p<.10) based on sexual preference, with sexual minority youth being less likely to graduate than their straight peers. Factors that significantly increased postsecondary completion included better high school grades and receiving a foster care scholarship called an Education and Training Voucher (ETV). Factors that decreased the odds of earning a credential included having a behavioral health disorder, a history of grade repetition, engaging in more delinquent behaviors, and encountering more economic hardships while enrolled. Two college characteristics decreased the odds of finishing a credential: enrolling in a school with higher percentages of students who receive Pell grants and who attend part-time. Mediation analyses found that the effect of receiving an ETV was partially explained by enabling students to better academically integrate at their college (e.g., meet with professors, participate in study groups and tutoring).

Conclusions and Implications: This study provides a rare opportunity to investigate a wealth of factors that may influence college degree completion. Addressing behavioral health needs and barriers that stymie pre-college academics (e.g., lower grades, grade repetition) are actionable points of intervention. The study finds that although economic hardships stifle credential completion, receiving an ETV provides students with needed funding that allows them to engage more substantively with their academics and ultimately graduate. Since only 52% of youth received an ETV, finding ways to increase ETV uptake is a clear recommendation. Finally, the findings on college characteristics can be used by child welfare professionals and school counselors when advising youth on their college choice options.