SERU Report: The Equalizer: How Internships Close the Post-Collegiate Earnings Gap for Pell Grant Recipients

A baccalaureate credential from the University of Minnesota (UMN) is a valuable investment that provides significant returns in post-collegiate earnings. However, our own internal analyses have shown that inequities in initial earnings and salary growth exist, particularly for students from disadvantaged economic backgrounds. This brief summarizes new longitudinal research that answers a critical follow-up question: Can work-based, integrated learning experiences, specifically internships, reduce or eliminate earnings inequities for students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds? This study¹ focuses on Pell Grant recipients as a proxy for undergraduate students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, tracking their earnings for a decade after graduation.