The Effect of Debt and Working While Enrolled on Graduate Attainment

• In Event: Investigating Doctoral Students’ Experiences and Perspectives

Abstract

Only a handful of studies have investigated financial issues pertaining to graduate and first-professional students. Given the paramount importance of adequate financial aid on retention in graduate and professional schools and the large amounts of debt that graduate and first-professional students tend to acquire, there is a significant need to understand the effects of financial aid on graduate and first-professional student outcomes. The purpose of this study is to estimate the effect of debt and working while enrolled on degree attainment for graduate and first-professional students using the 2007-2008 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:08).

Authors

• Pilar Mendoza, University of Florida

• Alee Lynch Gunderson, University of Florida