Education Interrupted: How Military, Family, and Academic Life Shape Military Spouse Student Aspirations and Trajectories

Colleges and universities increasingly devote institutional resources to student veteran support, yet military spouses remain largely invisible in higher education research, policy, and practice. This exclusion may have material consequences, given that military spouses have high rates of higher education participation but relatively low mental health and employment outcomes. Drawing on 20 interviews with military spouse students (MSSs) who matriculated through and beyond their bachelor's degrees, this foundational qualitative study examines how military life shapes MSS educational needs, trajectories, and persistence strategies. We find that the competing demands of the military, family, and higher education create continual academic barriers that threaten MSS retention, requiring significant sacrifice, luck, and strong personal networks to make degree attainment possible. Findings challenge the assumption that steady enrollment reflects the absence of educational disruptions and underscore a need for MSS recognition and support.