
GSE Faculty Research
Document Type
Book Chapter
Date of this Version
2007
Publication Source
Readings on Equal Education
Volume
22
Start Page
109
Last Page
160
Abstract
College students who cannot pay the price of attendance from some combination of personal financial resources and grants typically have three options: do not attend college, borrow money using public and private loans, and/or work. Data show that increasing shares of students are utilizing both loans and work to pay for college-related expenses (Baum, 2005). Much attention has focused on growth in borrowing (e.g., Baum, 2005; Perna, 2001), as well as potential consequences of borrowing for various aspects of students’ educational experiences, including persistence and degree completion (DesJardins, Ahlburg, & McCall, 2002; St. John, 2003) and graduate school enrollment (Choy & Carroll, 2000; Ehrenberg, 1991; Fox, 1992; Perna, 2004; Weiler, 1991).
Less attention has focused on the consequences of working, even though most students work some number of hours while they are enrolled, regardless of the type of institution they attend (Choy & Berker, 2003; King & Bannon, 2002; McMillion, 2005; NPSAS:04). The percentage of full-time college students who are employed has increased steadily over the past three decades, rising from 36 percent in 1973 to 48 percent in 2003 (Fox, Connolly, & Snyder as cited in Baum, 2005). The share of full-time college students who work at least 20 hours each week has also been growing, rising from 17 percent in 1973 to 30 percent in 2003 (Fox et al. as cited in Baum, 2005).
Recommended Citation
Perna, L. W., Asha Cooper, M., & Li, C. (2007). Improving Educational Opportunities for Students Who Work. Readings on Equal Education, 22 109-160. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/gse_pubs/299
Included in
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Sociology Commons, Education Economics Commons, Education Policy Commons
Date Posted: 26 August 2015
Comments
This is a publication of AMS Press, and can be viewed at the publisher's website here: http://www.amspressinc.com/ree.html.