Memo from CalYOUTH: An Early Look at Predictors of College Degree Completion at Age 23 for Foster Youth

Graduating from college is a life-transforming achievement for young people with foster care backgrounds. Not only do the majority of adolescents in foster care aspire to finish college, but holding a degree has been associated with an increased likelihood of being employed and having higher earning...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Main Authors Okpych, Nathanael J, Park, Sunggeun, Courtney, Mark E, Powers, Jenna
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 01.09.2021
Subjects
Academic Persistence
Associate Degrees
Bachelors Degrees
Child Abuse
College Graduates
Educational Background
Ethnicity
Foster Care
Graduation Rate
Mental Disorders
Predictor Variables
Racial Differences
Young Adults
California
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Summary:Graduating from college is a life-transforming achievement for young people with foster care backgrounds. Not only do the majority of adolescents in foster care aspire to finish college, but holding a degree has been associated with an increased likelihood of being employed and having higher earnings. Still, existing research estimates that fewer than one in ten foster youth complete 2-year or 4-year degrees by early adulthood. Few studies have investigated factors that promote or hinder foster youths' likelihood of completing a college degree. Given the importance of college degree completion for foster youth and the limited research on this topic, this memo provides an early look at contributors to college degree completion for participants in the CalYOUTH Study. The report draws on data collected from the several hundred youths who participated in the longitudinal study to identify factors that promote or stymie youths' likelihood of completing a college degree by around age 23.