The long-term labor benefits of student supports

A new study sheds light on the long-term benefits of wraparound student supports on students’ employment and earnings.

Read the full story in Community College Daily

The University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab examined how City Colleges of Chicago students who participated in services provided through the student success nonprofit One Million Degrees (OMD) were doing seven and eight years after using those services. Among the findings:

• $14,246 increase in average annual earnings by year seven ($33,664 compared to $19,418 in a control group of peers)
• 21% increase in stable employment seven years later
• 16% increase in earning any degree within eight years

The program had a bigger impact on students who applied to the program before they enrolled in community college:

• 48% higher likelihood of earning an associate degree among students who applied to the program while in high school
• Participants who were in high school were 90% more likely to be enrolled or working full-time
• They were 83% more likely to be working in a stable job compared to their peers