Surviving While Studying:

2023 Workers and ​Learners Research

Labor Summer Research Program (LSRP)

Introduction

Student labor has become increasingly prevalent in secondary and postsecondary institutions. ​Research has shown that working while also attending school is a common practice, if not an ​expectation, for college students. Data collected on young workers in California (UCLA Labor ​Center & Stuart Foundation, 2023) shows that nearly half of young workers between 16 and 24 ​years old also attend school. Additionally, over a fourth of high school workers and learners, and ​over half of college undergraduates, work over 20 hours per week.

The rise of “workers and learners” prompts a dilemma: To what extent does working while ​going to school impact student outcomes?

Many studies suggest that there are direct positive outcomes that result from working while ​attending school, such as increased employment experience and career-oriented marketable ​skills and a stronger resume. Worker-and-learner students overwhelmingly believe that degree ​completion is important and wish to earn graduate and professional degrees (UCLA Labor ​Center, June, 2020). However, many students lack access to professional and academic ​opportunities related to their future careers due to the need to work full-time hours while ​attending school. Research has shown this leads to negative outcomes, including divergence ​toward opportunities unrelated to students’ intended academic goals (Carnevale, Smith & ​Melton, 2015), lower academic outcomes (e.g., lower GPAs), longer graduation timelines, fewer ​instances of degree completion (Kyle, 2017; Carnevale and Smith, 2018), increased student loan ​debt, and lower incomes after enrollment compared to non-working students (Carnevale, ​Smith & Melton, 2015; Kyle, 2017).

To better understand how employment can impact the student experience, the 2023 UCLA ​Labor Summer Research Program (LSRP 2023) student team conducted the following study. This ​website presents select findings from the data.

About This Study

In the summer of 2023, 35 UCLA undergraduate students participating in LSRP 2023 conducted 159 surveys and 30 interviews of students who work and study at public universities or colleges in Los Angeles County. The cohort asked questions about these students’ experiences across academics, workplaces, commuting, housing access, and student aid. The cohort then analyzed the surveys and interviews and made recommendations on how to better support students who also work. Due to the short timeline of the project, the sample skews toward UCLA students.

The website presents key findings from the research. You can download and view all survey data here.

Sample Demographics

Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds

Gender Identity

Type of School

UC 68%

Community College 23%

Key Findings

Finding 1

Working students face challenges juggling employment and academic schedules.

Working students lack stable schedules and need sustainable work hours and wages.

• Two thirds (67%) of students worked more than 15 hours a week, and 85% of students took 12 or more units, indicating a double shift, long work days coupled with school responsibilities.
• Many (62%) reported erratic schedules, such as week-by-week shift changes.
• Some (22%) workers and learners rarely or never have time for themselves and 61% sometimes did.
  

Working students need academic flexibility to manage school and work.

• Half of participants were unable to take or finish classes they needed due to scheduling conflicts.
• Nearly half (48%) of working students reported that hybrid (e.g., online and in-person) learning options would support their school and work schedules, though 50% preferred in-person classes if they were freed from their scheduling constraints.
• Workers and learners reported needing increased flexibility in assignment deadlines (94%), class attendance (91%), and alternative grading scales (74%).
• Fewer work hours (54%) and scheduling accommodations for school (92%) would help students reduce stress as workers and learners. All respondents (98%) noted that they need higher wages.

Figure 4: Accommodations to support working students

Flexible Assignments

Class Attendance

Extra Credit

School Credit for Work

Alternative Grading

Other

Figure 5: Preferred Class Structure based on schedule

Finding 2

Being a student is costly, especially when covering essentials.

Housing is a major expense in students’ costs.

• Over half (58%) of students reported cost being their largest factor when considering housing over location (27%).
• Nearly half of students paid their own housing costs, without financial support from others. Over a quarter (29%) ​reported being late on rent, and 7% reported being without housing.

Students don’t receive enough financial support.

• Students use their financial aid to cover key necessities such as tuition, housing and healthcare costs. But they need ​additional income to cover other costs such as transportation, food and personal necessities.
  
• Only 19% of students fully felt confident that their financial aid was enough.
  
• Many (58%) students receive financial support from family, partners, and friends and a quarter (25%) of students took ​loans out to pay for college and/or other living expenses.
  

Figure 6: Rent Contributions

Someone Else Pays Entire Rent

45%

Pay Rent Alone

Someone Else Contributes to some rent

Figure 7: Living Situation

Live Alone

Live with others for non-financial reasons

Live with family to afford rent

Lived with roommates to afford housing

Finding 3

Students miss out on many opportunities.

Students lack access to on-campus working and living opportunities

• Two thirds (67%) of students live off campus and over half (55%) work off-campus.
• Only 34% of students surveyed received work-study aid, which limited opportunities for these students to work and ​learn in the same place.

Students are in their cars and face long commutes.

• 65% of students use cars at least partially to get to school and work.
• Of those who commute, 67% reported commutes of longer than 30 minutes and 49% reported commuting 4-5 days ​a week to school
• Nearly half of commuters were late to class daily or a few times a week (20%) or a few times a month (25%).

Students see the benefits of internships but lack opportunities.

• Internships can be a good opportunity for students to gain skills relevant to their future careers. However, only 31% ​of students reported being involved in paid internships during the whole time they were an undergraduate.
• Despite the majority of students having no internship experience during their undergraduate years, 82% said that ​their college or university shared those opportunities with them.
• 60% of students said that their primary factor when looking for internships are the professional experience it can ​provide, while 24% of students said that the pay was their largest consideration. Skills-building (8%) and flexibility in ​work hours (5%).
  

Figure 8: Modes of commute

Recommendations

Allow more options for working for class credit.

Our findings show that many students need more accommodations to help them balance work and school. We ​recommend colleges create policy that offers students credit options for the time that they are working.

Increase wages and financial support for workers and learners.

Most students in this report have responded that they face significant financial barriers in succeeding in their education. ​Increasing the financial stability of students will support their ability to be successful in college.

Allow all students to opt in or out of meal plans.

One of the qualifying criteria for Cal-Fresh/EBT benefits is not receiving a meal plan. In some cases, on campus housing may be the only option for some students to live, but at least at UCLA, they would not qualify for EBT because they are required to have a meal plan. On the other end, some commuting students would benefit from the option of having a meal plan and access to campus dining.

Strengthen connections between employment and education.

With emphasis on the encouragement of work-based learning, we recommend that colleges and universities to establish stronger relationships with labor partners and offer students more affordable work-based learning options; such as paid internships, apprenticeships, and other for-credit opportunities.

Have better consideration for hours of work and school.

Previous studies have shown that increased work hours lead to worsened academic outcomes including decreased graduation rates, lower GPAs, more time to degree completion, and less early career earnings (Kyle, 2017). If institutions wish to better understand student academic outcomes, we recommend that more effective means of tracking work hours and course units be implemented.

What Students Can Do

Acknowledgements

Labor Summer Research Project:

2023 Research Team