Socioeconomic Status and College: How SES Affects College Experiences and Outcomes
Abstract
This study investigated college experiences and outcomes for low and high SES students utilizing data from a longitudinal database. Low SES students engaged in fewer extracurricular activities, worked more, studied less, and reported lower GPAs than their high SES peers. Nine years after entering college, the low SES students had lower incomes, educational attainment, and graduate school attendance than high SES students. These experiential and outcome differences are tied to differences in cultural capital and habitus.
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Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to persist to a bachelor's degree or to have graduate degree aspirations.
“Further, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to persist through the first year of college, “less likely to persist to a bachelor’s degree or to have graduate degree aspirations” [2], and their aspirations specifically for pursuing advanced degrees in medicine or law are much lower than those of their higher socioeconomic peers [2].”
From Supporting underrepresented students in health sciences: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach to program evaluation (2024) · cites this paper as [2]
Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to persist through the first year of college.
“Further, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to persist through the first year of college, “less likely to persist to a bachelor’s degree or to have graduate degree aspirations” [2], and their aspirations specifically for pursuing advanced degrees in medicine or law are much lower than those of their higher socioeconomic peers [2].”
From Supporting underrepresented students in health sciences: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach to program evaluation (2024) · cites this paper as [2]
Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have much lower aspirations specifically for pursuing advanced degrees in medicine or law than their higher socioeconomic peers.
“Further, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to persist through the first year of college, “less likely to persist to a bachelor’s degree or to have graduate degree aspirations” [2], and their aspirations specifically for pursuing advanced degrees in medicine or law are much lower than those of their higher socioeconomic peers [2].”
From Supporting underrepresented students in health sciences: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach to program evaluation (2024) · cites this paper as [2]
Many of STAHR students' peers do not need to rely on their own employment to finance their education.
“unlike many of their peers who do not need to rely on their own employment to finance their education [2].”
From Supporting underrepresented students in health sciences: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach to program evaluation (2024) · cites this paper as [2]
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Bruffaerts, R., Mortier, P., Kiekens, G., Auerbach, R. P., Cuijpers, P., Demyttenaere, K., Green, J. G., Nock, M. K., & Kessler, R. C. (2018) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.07.044 · Cited by 1,047 · see citing works
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Hoel, S., Victory, A., Sagorac Gruichich, T., Stowe, Z. N., McInnis, M. G., Cochran, A., & Thomas, E. B. K. (2022) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2022.869143 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
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“Additionally, it has been long established that people from low socioeconomic status backgrounds are under-represented in post-secondary education (Walpole, 2003).”
- Authors
- Walpole, M.
- Affiliations
- Rowan University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Walpole, MaryBeth
- ORCID
- Walpole, MaryBeth
- Venue
- The Review of Higher Education
- Publisher
- Project MUSE
- Published
- 2003-09
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 45-73
- ISSN
- 0162-5748 (ISSN-L)
- 1090-7009
- OpenAlex
- W1979244129
- Cited by
- 751
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 60 · 2018: 46 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 53 · 2014: 60 · 2013: 51 · 2012: 40
- FWCI
- 31.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Review of higher education/The review of higher education (publishedVersion)
- Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Cultural Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies
- Keywords
- socioeconomic status, university students, low-income students, extracurricular activities, student employment, academic performance, cultural capital, habitus, educational attainment, graduate school enrollment, income outcomes, college outcomes
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