How to Pay for College as a Single Mom

For single moms feeling discouraged about affording the cost of college, there are a number of grants and other aid programs that might make the transition smoother.

Tatyana Davis, a single mother of three, says her youngest child was just over 6 months when she first enrolled in Monroe Community College in New York, where she now studies health information technology with the help of a federal grant and the college's child care center.

"If you're a single mom, your decision on getting a higher education depends on whether or not you're going to be able to get a child care subsidy grant to pay for child care or you have to continue to work and provide for your family," Davis says. "The expense of child care is $280 a week for an infant. That's a paycheck, that's food on the table, that's car insurance -- and this is the type of decision you are choosing between."

Coupled with rising tuition costs, enrolling as a single mother can be intimidating, but Lindsey Reichlin Cruse, study director at the Institute for Women's Policy Research, says these parent learners are more than capable of academic success with the right support.

Single mothers who have been through the process say they advise other mothers interested in a postsecondary education to reach out to neighbors, colleges and nonprofit organizations for help and to develop a strong support system. Getting over the guilt of spending time away from children can also add an emotional toll to the financial burden mothers face when going to college.

Many single mothers attend community college, but they also enroll in four-year institutions and graduate programs. Monika Beauchamp, a single mother of a 3-year-old daughter, says she hit a crossroad in her career path that pushed her toward going back to school to pursue a law degree.

"It was either go and find another job that I'm just going to stay at and be miserable and not feel like I'm contributing to anything, or make a choice. I'm conflicted because I'm not going to see my daughter; the next three years of our lives are going to be difficult," Beauchamp says. "But I think the sacrifice is worth it. I think the struggle is worth it because not only are you making a choice to step into a better financial situation, but you are also showing your child that you can overcome obstacles."

Beauchamp says one challenge she faces now is learning the financial assistance programs in a new state, if she moves to attend college. Nationally, 41% of single mothers with only a high school diploma live in poverty, according to 2016 data from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, and the median student debt for student parents is more than twice as high as students who do not have children, according to 2015-2016 data.

[See: 10 Common Mistakes Made on the FAFSA.]

However, as college students, single mothers have federal financial aid available to them. Low-income students are likely to qualify for some form of aid, such as the Pell Grant, the largest federal grant available to students based on financial need.

Like other grants and scholarships, the Pell Grant does not need to be repaid, but students do need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, to be eligible. The FAFSA is also used to determine eligibility for student loans, which may help cover the gaps between the full cost of attendance -- including living expenses -- and what is covered by grants.

Government Grants and Resources

The Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program is a federal grant program that aims to curb a downward trend of child care centers on college campuses.

While the grant is awarded to the institution rather than the parent herself, it provides postsecondary institutions with funding to provide on-campus child care services, which may be particularly beneficial to single moms. In 2018, the grant gave more than $33 million to 197 universities, colleges and community colleges across the nation.

But relying on campus-based centers is still not a guarantee. Most single mothers will have to get on a waitlist at their institution, and schools must reapply each year and meet eligibility requirements to receive any funding.

Experts and single moms say it's important to reach out for help in as many ways as possible, including asking about the availability of this federal grant.

"Starting with their college that they are attending is the best first step, because those folks hopefully will have the best information about what the college offers, what community resources, scholarship opportunities and other assistance is available," Cruse says. "If there is a campus child care center, the staff and teachers at that center may have some information about child care assistance, whether or not they have a CCAMPS program, and available slots opening up."

[Read: What to Know About Child Care Access in College.]

While the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program is the only federal program aimed specifically at supporting parent learners, there are a few additional national resources that may be useful for single mothers struggling to pay for college:

-- Strengthening Working Families Initiative, U.S. Department of Labor.

-- Child Care and Development Fund, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

-- Pregnancy Assistance Fund, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Local Grants and Resources

Some states have grant opportunities for single moms and low-income parents pursuing a college education. Minnesota, for example, has a program that awards a maximum of $5,200 per eligible child under 12 years old per academic year for undergraduate and graduate students.

And in New York, child care facilities on the campuses of the State University of New York and the City University of New York institutions are funded by the state, and are even subsidized for some qualifying families.

Students should research specific opportunities in the state where they will attend college. The Institute for Women's Policy Research provides an online tool linking child care programs, resources, grants and supports to parents attending school.

[Read: Four Need-to-Know Facts About State Aid for College.]

In addition to statewide grants, there are also regional and private programs available to students located in some cities that aim to support single mothers. The Jeremiah Program, for example, is an organization that provides housing and educational resources for single mothers and their children in five cities across the country, with a planned sixth location in development.

Here are a few more state and city programs:

-- Family Scholar House, Kentucky.

-- SUNY Child Care Centers, New York.

-- Postsecondary Child Care Grant Program Administration, Minnesota.

-- Capture the Dream Single Parent Scholarship, Oakland, California.

-- Hope for Single Moms, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Institution-based Grants and Programs

Some institutions offer programs specifically for parents attending college. At the College of St. Mary in Nebraska, for example, the Single Parent Success Program provides students with family housing and parenting courses to help single mothers navigate college, as well as access to on-campus child care and free meals for children of students in the dining hall.

Here are some other institution-based grants that can help single moms and parent learners pay for college:

-- Mary Jane Young Scholarship at Minnesota State University--Mankato.

-- Graduate Parent Support at the University of Alabama.

-- Single Mothers Achieving Real Triumph (SMART) program at Lakeland Community College in Ohio.

-- Student Parent Center at the University of California System.

-- Non-Traditional Student Services at Southern Illinois University--Carbondale.

Eligible students may be able to access a range of supports from community-building opportunities to tuition grants, but some programs may be income-based or need-based.

Single moms should call colleges they are interested in attending to get more information about financial aid and grants for single moms and parent learners. Experts say students should talk with a college counselor about their specific situation. For those who find the idea of full-time enrollment daunting, part-time or evening classes could provide the flexibility they need.

Single moms may also be able to pull financial aid and resources from all corners of their communities. Davis says paying for college as a single mom included a wide range of supports, including financial assistance from her local YMCA. She also relied on a federal student loan, resources from a local child care council and financial assistance from a local organization, the Rochester Rehabilitation Center, which gave her a Strengthening Working Families Initiative grant.

Trying to fund your education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for College center.

Emma Kerr is the paying for college reporter at U.S. News & World Report. Prior to joining U.S. News, she covered education in Maryland for the Frederick News-Post and made stops at the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Daily Beast, among others. She graduated from the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor, where she studied English and international studies and began her career as a news reporter at its student newspaper, The Michigan Daily. You can connect with her on Twitter at @EmmaRKerr.