From Comprehensive Services to No Support at All: How Institutional Agents Shape Student-Mothers’ Academic Success

Despite their sizable presence on U.S. college campuses, few institutions have comprehensive programs to support student-mothers’ success. However, research suggests that access to even one supportive or encouraging institutional agent can make a difference in a student’s college trajectory. Based on interviews with 57 student-mothers at 2- and 4-year institutions across the United States, this article considers the ways in which access to different types of resources specifically geared toward student-parents shapes student-mothers’ college experiences. Comparing the experiences of student-mothers with access to no support, one institutional agent, and multiple institutional agents, we argue that students embedded in programs with access to multiple institutional agents received the most comprehensive support, allowing them to access various forms of social capital to further their persistence and success.