Half of Students at California’s Public Colleges Work While in School

As students settle into a new school year, about half of those at the state's public colleges are also working, according to information from California's Cradle-to-Career data system, which links data from across the educational landscape to the workforce, social services and more. Research has found that while students can benefit from working during college, work may also disrupt their studies. In this post, we look at trends over time and differences across demographic groups in employment and earnings to illustrate the role that jobs play in students' lives.

Similar shares of students work at the California Community Colleges (CCC), the University of California (UC), and California State University (CSU). Just under 50% of UC and CSU students work, compared to 52% of CCC students. Community college students also have higher median earnings than their counterparts at UC and CSU, earning about $7,300 more annually. The available data do not include details on hours worked or industry of employment, but the earnings gap likely reflects differences between students at the CCC and those at the UC or CSU. Community college students are more likely to be in school part-time and are, on average, older. They may earn more because they likely work more hours and may be in relatively senior roles compared to the typical 18- to 22- year-old UC or CSU student.

Trends in employment differ between two- and four-year public colleges. The share of students working dipped across the board during the pandemic, but prior to that, employment rates among community college students had been stagnant and rates had been growing at UC and CSU. About 52 percent of community college students have worked in most years going back to 2018, while the share of four-year university students working has risen 9 percentage points over the same time frame. Earnings have increased over the last several years for both groups of students.

Latino and female students are two of the groups most likely to work while in college. The share of Latino students who work is far above the state average: 55% and 57% of Latino students work at two- and four-year colleges, respectively. Across racial and ethnic groups, Latino students also have the highest median earnings, while Black students at CCC and Asian students at UC and CSU earn the least.

Female students are also much more likely to work than male students. At the community colleges and UC/CSU, 53% of female students are employed, compared to 50% of male students at CCC and 45% of male students at UC/CSU. Notably, annual earnings for female students are roughly similar to those of their male peers at CCC and $2,200 lower than men at UC and CSU.

Whether students choose to work at all is tied, in part, to their own economic circumstances. Some may need income to support themselves while in school, and others may need to work to cover the net cost of college-which can remain high even after financial aid or other assistance. Research has found that students who work while in college may struggle to keep up in class-especially those who work more than 15 hours per week. There are, however, some benefits to working while in college. Earnings are valuable to students, of course, but the additional work experience has been found to have long-term returns as well. Ongoing efforts to strengthen the connection between education and employment through apprenticeships and industry-aligned educational pathways could help students get more out of the jobs they do after class.