Balancing part-time work and studies has become commonplace for university students in Canada and other countries where the costs of education have risen over time. While there is a substantial literature on the impacts of term-time work on studies, little has been written about campus employment programs, which are becoming more commonplace in…

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program is an integral part of the federal financial aid plan in the United State since 1964 providing employment opportunities, financial assistance, and opportunities to improve career readiness to over 675,000 students annually. However, little investigation has been completed into the effects of participating in…

More American college students spend their time working in paid employment than in the past. Prior scholarship has focused on the relationship between work and conventional outcomes (e.g., grades, persistence, and engagement), but little is known about the impact of students' work on civic engagement. As campuses are called to prepare students for…

With the desire to expand work-integrated learning opportunities for Canadian postsecondary students, it is timely to consider how pre-existing student work positions may be transformed to achieve the educational criteria and benefits of work-integrated learning. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of structured learning support on…

Attending college without working is a luxury most California community college students do not have. In fact, nationally, 80 percent of today's community college students work while going to class (39 percent of them work full-time), with many balancing their role as a primary source of income for their family and caring for young children. Jobs…

The federal work-study program is one of the earliest forms of federal financial aid for higher education in the United States and has come under close scrutiny for its debatable impact on low-income students' college success and persistence. However, federal work-study surprisingly remains one of the least-studied financial aid programs. This has…

College students at 14 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in New Mexico and Texas were surveyed about their experiences in and perceptions of higher education. Three primary foci were students' employment status, work commitments, and means of financing college. Most of the informants reported working while in college and, similar to previously…

Student employment subsidies are one of the largest types of employment subsidies and one of the oldest forms of student aid. The Federal Work-Study program (FWS) is the largest student employment subsidy program; since 1964, it has provided about $1 billion per year to cover 75 percent of wages for student employees, who typically work on campus…

Working for pay is the reality for many undergraduate students. Higher rates and intensity of employment among students from underserved backgrounds and those attending under-resourced institutions suggest employment during college reinforces inequity in higher education opportunity and outcomes. Compared with higher-income students, students from…

Financial aid may be particularly critical for promoting full-time enrollment, continuous enrollment, and a manageable balance of school and work responsibilities, which influence the likelihood of timely degree completion (Adelman, 2006; Attewell, Heil, & Reisel, 2012; Hossler et al., 2009). For example, Attewell, Heil, and Reisel (2012)…

Due to rising costs and declining affordability, many students have to work while attending college. The federal government takes a major role in subsidizing the wages of college students and spent over $1 billion on the Work-Study program in 2010-11 (College Board, 2011), yet little is known about how working during the school year impacts…

This exploratory study examines the difference between two college persistence factors--resiliency and institutional engagement--for low-income, working, first-generation college students. Participants in the study consisted of 52 respondents to the Family History Knowledge and College Persistence Survey. Among respondents, 50 students reported…

The rapid increase of tuition and the reduced financial support from government and families have forced many more students to take part-time jobs, however, different jobs might bear different benefits. The main purposes of this study were to identify the major benefits of part-time jobs or work-study experiences performed by college students, and…

A college degree is often the key to jumpstarting a career. And data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) consistently show that workers who have a college degree earn more than workers who don't. Not surprisingly, a college education is increasingly popular. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Education National Center for…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to "explore and understand how recent college graduates made meaning of their on-campus work experience". The author interviewed graduates from a private liberal arts institution regarding how their on-campus employment impacted their academic success, overall student experience, and beginning…