Most College Students Work While Enrolled. Here’s How It’s Impacting Their Grades and Well-Being
Credit: RichVintage / E+ / Getty Images- College students routinely work at least 20 hours per week while in school.
- Working college students are more likely to take out student loans than non-working students.
- The majority of working students say their jobs interfere with their ability to participate in recreational activities.
- Research suggests working while in college may also negatively impact academic performance.
A majority of college students work for pay while enrolled, new analysis from Trellis Strategies found.
Approximately 67% of undergraduate students reported working for pay, according to Trellis Strategies. Of those students, 4 out of every 5 working college students spent more than 20 hours per week working for pay.
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“Working more than 20 hours per week is consistently linked to lower academic performance,” the report states, “suggesting that the demanding work schedules of worker-first students may directly hinder their academic outcomes.”
This data exemplifies the changing landscape of who the typical college student has become in recent decades. Long gone are the days when the typical college student devoted 100% of their time to their studies.
Relatedly, 56% of working students said their job interferes with their ability to take part in activities or social events at their college or university.
Trellis’ report also helps highlight how working students pay for college differently from other students.
Working students are more likely to take out student loans, use credit cards, or dip into personal savings to help pay for their education. They are less likely than non-working students to receive support from parents or other family members.
According to Trellis Strategies, working students are also slightly more likely to say they would have trouble securing $500 in an emergency (57%) compared to non-working students (54%).
Working students are more likely to report experiencing basic needs insecurity (62%) than non-working students (51%).