Welfare recipients’ abilities to attend college while receiving aid has been
severely curtailed by the TANF program, due in part to concerns about longterm
education in a time-limited program. Yet, prior research indicates that
college enrollment, and particularly graduation, are strong indicators of positive
future outcomes. Findings from the NLSY indicate that during the pre-TANF
period, 17 percent of welfare spells had some overlap with college enrollment.
Among women who enroll, however, just 36 percent graduate at any point in
the 20-year NLSY panel and receipt of financial aid loans is a strong predictor of
graduation. Attending college while on aid is associated with up to an additional
one and a half years of aid receipt. Graduation may help to ameliorate this,
although women who are already enrolled in college when they begin to receive
welfare are more likely to graduate than those who start college as welfare
recipients.