It seems likely that those who graduate have shorter time on aid because, as reported
previously, they are more likely to have started welfare after starting school. To check this, I
examine the number of months of aid that graduates and non-graduates accrue prior to their first
simultaneous college-welfare spell. I find that graduates, who are more likely to have started welfare
after college, have accrued an average of 11.0 months on aid prior to their first observed collegewelfare
spell. However, 27.6 percent of graduates had no prior welfare experience before their first
college-welfare spell. In contrast, non-graduates have accrued an average of 35.2 months on aid
prior to their first college-welfare spell, with just 9.4 percent having no prior welfare experience.