As many as 84% of 17- and 18-year-olds in foster care want to attend college. But these teens are only about half as likely to enroll in college as their peers, and fewer than 3% of them will earn a bachelor’s degree by the age of 24. See National Working Group on Foster Care and Education, “Fostering Success in Education: National Fact sheet on the Educational Outcomes of Children in Foster Care” (April 2018).

 It is well documented that foster care alumni experience worse life outcomes than their peers across many measures: on average, they achieve less vocational and economic success, have a higher incidence of chronic medical problems, experience less stable romantic and other close relationships, and are substantially more likely to become involved in the criminal justice system or become incarcerated. As the example of college graduation rates above suggests, some of the most profound negative consequences that former or current foster care youth face relate to their education.

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