Background characteristics of welfare recipients who do and do not attend college while on
aid are consistent with what one might predict (Table 2). In particular, “taste for education”
variables, such as mother’s highest grade completed and the 1980 AFQT score, are higher for those
who enroll than those who do not. Opportunity costs associated with college enrollment also appear
to play a role as state welfare benefits and county unemployment rates are both higher for those who
enroll than those who do not. There appears to be some correlation between school attendance and
access to postsecondary institutions with those who enroll in college having greater access to local
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institutions. Enrolled welfare recipients live in counties with an average of 36 postsecondary
institutions, compared to 25 in counties of non-enrolled recipients. An unexpected result is that
college enrollees are more likely to be African American (49.1 percent) than non-enrollees (34.9
percent). Indeed, the college enrollment rate among African American welfare recipients is 7
percentage points higher than the white enrollment rate (18.4 percent vs. 11.5 percent).