What are some postsecondary education statistics related to youth in foster care?
Seventy percent of youth in foster care describe wanting to attend to college, however studies show that between 7- 13% percent of college-qualified youth in foster care attend postsecondary education compared to 60 percent of youth not in care. Nationally, there are approximately 300,000 of these youth in foster care between the ages of 18 and 25, the prime college-going years. About 150,000 of these youth in foster care have graduated from high school and are college qualified. Of these college-qualified youth in foster care about 30,000 are attending postsecondary education. 1 in every 5 foster youth are entering college. If youth in foster care completed high school and attended postsecondary education at the same rate as their peers, nearly 100,000 additional youth in foster care in the 18 to 25-year-old age group would be attending higher education.
