As tuition costs steadily climb, so too does student employment -- and the number of hours students spend on the job each week. In 2007, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that 45 percent of "traditional undergraduates" -- defined as undergraduate students between the ages of 16 to 24, enrolled in a full course load -- held a job. Approximately 80 percent of part-time students in the same age bracket worked during the school year. The report found similar patterns of employed students enrolled in two-year community colleges, state universities and private colleges alike. Guidance counselors and faculty advise against clocking in more than 10 to 15 hours weekly during the academic year, but the reality is that nearly one in 10 full-time college students works at least 35 hours per week.
The major concern for most parents: Will working through college interfere with grades and learning? Culling undergraduate data from 1996 to 2004, researchers at Ohio University and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that a part-time job actually has the potential to raise GPAs along with money --- provided the student doesn't work too many hours.
Freshmen at four-year universities who punched the clock between one and 20 hours per week had an average GPA of 3.13. They fared better than their unemployed counterparts, who averaged in with slightly lower average of 3.04. Balancing work and school may help students develop real life skills, like time-management, that are crucial for success academically and beyond.
Of course, there's always the danger of too much of a good thing. Too many long hours on the job can cut into study time and lead to burnout. Grades took a nosedive among students who worked more than 20 hours weekly. University freshman in this group pulled an average GPA of just 2.95.
College can offer a wide array of learning experiences, both in and out of the classroom --- but can a student take advantage of these opportunities when he is holding down a job, on top of his academic obligations? Zac Bissonnette, author of "Debt-Free U," argues that it's very possible. According to Bissonnette, the typical undergrad spends 10.6 hours per week watching television. By dedicating those 10.6 hours to a part-time job, a student can typically make at least $70 or so --- without cutting into time meant for sports or clubs.
A study based on data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education found that working had a generally positive effect on psychological well-being and leadership skills among students. Again, the research suggests that it's very much about moderation. Working too many hours can negatively affect a student's overall college experience.
Where a student works can have as much of an impact as how many hours he works, according to a study based on data from the National Survey of Student Engagement. The study found that students who worked on campus for 20 hours or less each week enjoyed higher self-reported levels of "engagement" on measures such as active learning and student-faculty interaction than students who did not work at all, and reported a net positive in grades. Students who worked less than 20 hours per week but at an off-campus job were more likely to report a negative net effect on grades. They reported higher levels of engagement on two of the five measures used.
An on-campus employer will be far more flexible in scheduling a student's work hours around classes, and isn't likely going to insist that a student work a double-shift the weekend before an exam. Students who work on campus also work fewer hours overall, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Students who work on campus work 16 hours per week on average. Students who work off campus work 27 hours per week on average.