The Modern Learner
Today’s college students are juggling multiple financial commitments and may have competing priorities that complicate their identity as students. Analyses of data from the National Center for Education Statistics have found that so-called “traditional” students—those who enroll in college full-time immediately after high school, work part-time if at all, and are financially dependent on their parents—comprise a minority of undergraduate learners in recent decades. In the 2011-12 academic year, 74 percent of students had at least one non-traditional characteristic, while nearly a quarter (24 percent) had four or more.
Trellis Strategies’ Fall 2023 Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) provided insight into the experiences of these modern learners. Twenty-one percent of respondents to the SFWS had dependent children, with 57 percent of parents reporting they spent at least 20 hours per week caring for their dependents. Sixty-eight percent of respondents worked for pay while enrolled, 42 percent of whom worked full time. These working learners were asked whether they identified primarily as “a student who works” or “a worker who goes to school”; 38 percent identified as workers first. Finally, 36 percent of respondents identified as first-generation college students. These learners were more likely to report experiencing financial challenges while in school (80 percent) compared to their continuing-generation peers (67 percent).
Investing in College
Attaining a college degree is associated with higher wages and lower unemployment, and the majority of undergraduates view college as a worthwhile investment in their future. In the SFWS, students aged 25 or older, first-generation students, parents, and “workers who go to school” typically shared this belief.
However, students’ perceptions of familial support were less uniform across learners. While most learners reported that their family believes in the value of a college degree, older learners, first-generation students, parents, and workers were all less likely to agree with this statement compared to their more “traditional” peers.
Financial Priorities
Although the modern learner values college, they also face other financial priorities. Nearly half of all SFWS respondents (46 percent) agreed that it was important to support their family financially while in college, with dramatic differences among student groups. For example, 85 percent of parents and 71 percent of students over age 25 placed importance on providing for their family.
As learners juggle commitments to work and family, these competing priorities may challenge their ability to persist to graduation. The financial and social realities of the modern learner are of key importance to administrators, student support staff, and policymakers in understanding how students view the return on investment of a college education.
May Helena Plumb is a Research Analyst at Trellis Strategies, where she specializes in telling students’ stories through qualitative research. She holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from The University of Texas at Austin.