A curated list of resources for the parents of college students
College parenting isn’t easy. But there’s plenty of help out there. Beyond reading College Parent Central articles and listening to the podcast, the books below offer advice that will help you navigate the process of parenting your student to and through college (and beyond!) Choose one — or two — or more – and get started!
We have reviewed most of these books and related resources on College Parent Central, and we wouldn’t include them here if we didn’t think they offered significant value.
Content Categories on this Page:
Recommended Books | Other Resources
Please note that some of the links below are ”affiliate links.” At no additional cost to you, College Parent Central receives a commission if you decide to make a purchase. We think it’s only fair to let you know that.
Book Topics Legend:
Highly Recommended: If time is short, start here!
Parenting during high school and college: Learn about your role in supporting your student
Admission and financial aid: The process can be overwhelming. These books can help
For students – health and success: What matters in college.
Post college and career: And then they graduate. Make sure they’re ready.
- Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties (Second Edition)
Arnett, Jeffrey (2014)
Check out our review of this book - When Will My Grown-Up Kid Grow Up?: Loving and Understanding Your Emerging Adult
Arnett, Jeffrey and Fishel, Elizabeth (2013)
Check out our review of this book - 18 Things College Students Need to Know
Bailey, Renee (2020) - A High School Parent’s Guide to College Success: 12 Essentials
Baldwin, Amy and Tietje, Brian (2017) - College Bound and Gagged: How to Help Your Kid Get into a Great College Without Losing Your Savings, Your Relationship, or Your Mind
Berk, Nancy (2011)
Check out our review of this book - How to College: What to Know Before You Go (and When You’re There)
Brenner, Andrea Malkin and Schwartz, Lara Hope (2019)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the author - Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to College Admissions Mania
Bruni, Frank (2015) - Sending Your Child to College: The Prepared Parent’s Operational Manual
Carr, Marie Pinak et. al. (2007)
Check out our review of this book - Put College to Work: How to Use College to the Fullest to Discover Your Strengths and Find a Job You Love Before You Graduate
Clowes, Kat (2015)
Check out our review of this book - The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only
Cohen, Harlan (2010)
Check out our review of this book - The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College
Cohen, Harlan (2015) - Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years (6th Edition)
Coburn, Karen and Treeger, Madge (2016)
Check out our review of this book - Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Duckworth, Angela (2018) - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Dweck, Carol (2007) - How to Get the Most Out of College
Felix, Elliot (2022)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the author - Straight A’s Are Not Enough: Breakthroughs in Learning for College Students
Fishel, Judy (2015)
Check out our review of this book - Boomerang Nation: How to Survive Living with Your Parents… the Second Time Around
Furman, Elina (2005) - A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens
Geltman, Joani (2014)
Check out our review of this book - Beyond Tuition: Career Coaching Your College Kid
Gilbert, Sharon (2013)
Check out our review of this book - Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings
Ginsburg, Kenneth R. and Jablow, Martha M.(2014)
Check out our review of this book - The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook
Grimes, Jill (2020)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the author
- 7 Steps to College Success: a Pathway for Students with Disabilities
Hamblet, Elizabeth C. (2017)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the author - Your Freshman Is Off to College
Hazard, Laurie and Carter, Stephanie (2016)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the authors - The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed
Henry, Jill and Henry, David (2021)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the authors - The iConnected Parent: Staying Close to Your Kids in College (and Beyond) While Letting Them Grow Up
Hofer, Barbara K. and Sullivan, Abigail (2011)
Check out our review of this book - The Disintegrating Student: Struggling But Smart, Falling Apart, and How to Turn It Around
Jannot, Jeannine (2019) - Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years
Johnson, Helen E. and Schelhas-Miller, Christine (2011)
Check out our review of this book - Children Who Fail at School But Succeed at Life: Lessons from Lives Well-Lived
Katz, Mark (2016) - The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence
Lahey, Jessica (2021)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the author - The Gift of Failure
Lahey, Jessica (2016)
Check out our review of this book - Get Real and Get In: How to Get Into the College of Your Dreams by Being Your Authentic Self
Legatt, Aviva (2021)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the author - The Price You Pay for College
Lieber, Ron (2021)
Check out our review of this book - Smarter Than You Think: Accessing Your Personal Powers to Triumph in College
Liff, Susan (2020)
Check out our review of this book
- Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds
Light, Richard (2004)
Check out our review of this book - The Mindful College Student
Loucks, Eric (2022)
Listen to our podcast interview with the author - How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success
Lythcott-Haims, Julie (2015)
Check out our review of this book - Your Turn: How to Be an Adult
Lythcott-Haims, Julie (2021) - Off to College: A Guide for Parents
Martin, Roger H.(2015)
Check out our review of this book - Adulting Made Easy: Things Someone Should Have Told You About Getting Your Grown-Up Act Together
Morin, Amanda (2021)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the author - From Classroom to Career: How to Network, Nail the Interview, and Navigate for Success
Check out our review of this book - Don’t Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with your Adult Children
Nemzoff, Ruth (2008)
Check out our review of this book - The Hands-On Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home, (2nd Edition)
Newberry, Christina (2012) - The Accordion Family: Boomerang Kids, Anxious Parents, and the Private Toll of Global Competition
Newman, Katherine (2013)
Check out our review of this book - Out to Sea: A Parents’ Survival Guide to the Freshman Voyage
Radi, Kelly (2016)
Check out our review of this book - Careering: The Pocket Guide to Exploring Your Future Career
Raymond, Tamara S. (2017) - Countdown to College: The Essential Steps to Your Child’s Successful Launch
Rinere, Monique (2019)
Check out our review of this book - What to Do When You’re New
Rollag, Keith (2016)
Check out our review of this book - Collegiate: 7 Big Ideas to Make College Awesome
Salyers, Nick and Stevens, Caleb (2017)
Check out our review of this book - You’re On Your Own (But I’m Here If You Need Me):Mentoring Your Child During the College Years
Savage, Marjorie (2020)
Check out our review of this book - UniversityParent Guide to Supporting your Student’s Freshman Year
Schwemm, Diane (editor) (2015) - College Secrets of Highly Successful People
Schneider, Lindy and Schneider, Tom L. (2019)
Check out our review of this book
Listen to our podcast interview with the authors - Generation Z Goes to College
Seemiller, Corey and Grace, Meghan (2016)
Check out our review of this book - Generation Z: A Century in the Making
Seemiller, Corey and Grace, Meghan (2019)
Check out our review of this book - There Is Life After College
Selingo, Jeffrey (2016)
Check out our review of this book - Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions
Selingo, Jeffrey (2020)
Check out our review of this book - The Unemployed College Graduate’s Survival Guide: How to Get Your Life Together, Deal with Debt, and Find a Job After College
Snyder, Bonnie Kerrigan (2013) - After Campus Sexual Assault: A Guide for Parents
Sorenson, Susan B. (2021)
Listen to our podcast interview with the author - The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College
Steinberg, Jacques (2002)
Check out our review of this book - Success and Sanity on the College Campus: A Guide for Parents
Trevouledes, Diana and Grieger, Ingrid (2013)
Check out our review of this book - Been There, Should’ve Done That: 995 Tips for Making the Most of College (3rd edition)
Tyler, Suzette (2008)
Check out our review of this book - It’s the Student, Not the College: The Secrets of Succeeding at Any School Without Going Broke or Crazy
White, Kristin M. (2015)
Check out our review of this book
Other Helpful Resources for Parents of College Students
Beyond books, here are some resources and tools that can help you as you navigate the college parenting years.
- 60 Practical Tips: Using the High School Years to Prepare Your Student for College Success
College success doesn’t just happen! This College Parent Central e-book will help you guide your student through the process of using high school to establish the skills they will need in college. - The Talking College Card Deck
This set of over 200 conversation prompts will help you and your student discuss the topics that are so important before beginning college. Make a great high school graduation gift. (Use the Coupon Code CPCSAVE for $2.00 off the purchase price.) - Education Requirements to Become a Teacher
If your student is interested in becoming a teacher, this guide can help them understand the requirements they’ll need to complete. - A Teacher’s Guide to Supporting Students with Anxiety
If your student (of any age) has anxiety, this guide will help you understand it and share some strategies for working with it. You may also want to share this with anyone you know who may be a teacher. - LGBTQ+ Study Abroad Resource Guide
If your student wants to study abroad, they more they know the smoother the process and experience will go. If you have an LGBTQ+ student, this resource will help them make decisions and prepare for their study abroad experience. - How to Best Set Up Your Home for Living with a Roommate
Sooner or later, many new graduates will end up living with a roommate. Here is some advice for how to make it a great experience - Online MSW Programs
If you’re looking for a Master of Social Work program, this is a good place to find out what’s available.
