Towards the family friendly university? Research evidence on student parents and implications for higher education policies

The different needs and expectations of student parents compared with those of their ‘child-free’ counterparts give rise to some challenges for university leadership and management teams, in a context where the growing presence of this group in academia has not been matched by an equivalent policy concern. With this context in mind, this briefing paper addresses the following questions: 1. What does the evidence available tell us about student parents enrolled on university programmes? 2. Which provisions and interventions are in place at institutional level? 3. What more can be done by universities to address the presence of students with dependent children in academia?