Table 1 displays the characteristics of the women in my
sample, distinguishing between women who do not enroll
in college following welfare entry, women who enroll but
did not obtain a credential, and credential recipients. The
fourth column includes women who were already enrolled
in college for at least two quarters at entry rather than those
who were induced to enter college after entering Colorado’
s welfare program (however, their pre-welfare labor market
attachment is no weaker than that of women in the other
groups). College-going women are slightly younger, are more
likely to own vehicles, and are slightly less likely to be disabled.
A portion of women in all four groups have some
past experience with higher education. For instance, 34% of
women who attend college and earn a degree following welfare
entry enrolled in college for at least one semester prior
to welfare entry. Finally, women who enroll in college following
entry have higher pre-welfare earnings and employment,
suggesting that estimates that do not account for individual
effects may be biased upwards.