DataPoints

DataPoints: Recognizing student veterans’ challenges

Student veterans comprise about 5% of community college students, and many of them face challenges in attending college, according to federal data. For example, 27% of student veterans who attend a community college report having a disability, compared to 20% of students who are not veterans. More specifically, student veterans have higher rates of serious disabilities – such as blindness/difficulty seeing, being deaf/hard of hearing, walking/climbing stairs and concentrating and remembering – than students not veterans. Student veterans also face higher risks of homelessness (14% compared to 10% of community college students not veterans) and are more likely to have dependent children (38% compared to 24%).