College students often face financial and basic needs challenges, and these barriers can be even greater for student parents balancing caregiving responsibilities alongside their education. As financial pressures rise, many student parents turn to buy now, pay later (BNPL) services and other forms of credit to cover essential expenses and manage gaps between income and household costs. Findings from the 2025 Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) indicate that student parents are more likely than their peers to rely on BNPL. These findings suggest that expanding supports such as emergency aid, need-based grants, affordable childcare, and other basic needs resources could reduce student parents’ reliance on short-term credit and support their persistence and success.
