Transition-Age Youth In Foster Care: Higher Education Enrollment and Use of Supports

Background and Purpose Transition-age youth (TAY) in foster care encounter significant barriers in accessing post-secondary education, with college enrollment and graduation rates remaining substantially lower than those of their peers. While the federal Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program provides critical financial support to address this gap, large amounts of these funds remain underutilized. This study sought to identify the factors that act as facilitators or barriers to higher education enrollment and ETV receipt. Specifically, the study examined how many TAY enrolled in higher education; how enrollment rates differ based on demographics, foster care experiences, and extended foster care (EFC) participation; and whether these same factors predict ETV utilization among enrollees.

Methods A retrospective cohort design was used to analyze linked state-level administrative datasets. The analytical sample included 2,304 youth who turned 18 between 2015 and 2018 in a Southeastern state's foster care system. To examine ETV utilization, a subsample of the 487 youth who enrolled in higher education by age 24 was analyzed. Data sources included state child welfare agency records, ETV program payment processing data, and National Student Clearinghouse higher education enrollment records. Descriptive statistics, subgroup comparisons, and a hierarchical series of logistic regression models were estimated to examine rates and predictors of enrollment and ETV utilization.

Results Of the 2,304 youth in the full sample, 21.14% (n=487) enrolled in higher education. Among those enrollees, 46.20% (n=225) utilized ETV funds. Exploratory subgroup analyses indicated that female, Black, and rural youth, as well as those remaining in EFC or in relative placements, were significantly more likely to enroll. In the final logistic regression models, EFC participation was a major predictor, increasing the odds of higher education enrollment by 135% compared to those who did not remain in care. While males had 53% lower odds of enrolling than females, Black youth and rural youth exhibited significantly higher odds of enrollment compared to their white and urban peers, respectively. Greater placement stability and turning 18 in a relative placement also significantly increased the probability of enrollment. Notably, an interaction model revealed that the relatively greater enrollment odds associated with EFC participation decreased as youth experienced higher placement stability. EFC participation was also associated with ETV utilization, increasing the odds of receiving ETV funds by 3.78 times when compared to youth exiting care at 18.

Conclusions and Implications The main outcomes of the study highlight that utilizing extended foster care and experiencing placement stability are vital facilitators for higher education access and ETV uptake. These findings underscore the need for child welfare professionals to actively refer transition-age youth to comprehensive college preparation services and provide proactive assistance with ETV applications during transitional planning windows. Policy and practice implications include creating clearer administrative pathways to EFC, expanding licensing for supportive kin placements, and improving institutional awareness and coordination across secondary and higher education settings. Further research should employ longitudinal mixed methods across multiple states to explore how geographic, policy, and systemic factors shape the educational trajectories and resilience of foster youth.