The Precarious Financial Lives of College Students in Sub-Saharan Africa

Natalie Bau, Corinne Low, Simona Simona and Bryce Steinberg

No 34989, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Investment in tertiary education in Africa, unlike richer settings, is often portrayed as inequitable and inefficient. Yet, though Africa will produce much of the world’s future workforce, there is little information on college students’ financial constraints. Novel data from a Zambian flagship university show that students are highly financially vulnerable and food insecure, on par with the "ultra-poor.'' Because universities are typically urban, cash poor rural students struggle with high urban costs of living. Being allocated on-campus housing leads to less financial vulnerability and better academic outcomes. Financially supporting African university students could promote both equity and efficiency.

JEL-codes: I22 I24 I25 I30 O1 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-03
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