Work Matters: How Participation in the Student Labor Market Influences Completion for Underrepresented Undergraduate Students

• In Event: 18.027 - Success for Underrepresented Students in Higher Education

Abstract

Research on college completion for students who work during the undergraduate experience often approaches the topic with a financial aid perspective. This paper explores the intersectionality between student employment and race and its influence on completion. Using inverse probability weighting during propensity score matching, I find students who work are more likely to exit college prior to attaining a degree. Further, I highlight the effects for Black and Latino students who work during college are more deleterious than White students who work.

Author

• Maurice Shirley, New York University