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Through an analysis of eight collections of autoethnographic essays written by working-class academics and published over the span of thirty-two years, I identify stable themes and emergent patterns in lived experiences. Some broad and stable themes include a sense of alienation, lack of cultural capital, encountering stereotypes and microaggressions, experiencing survivor guilt and the impostor syndrome, and struggling to pass in a middle-class culture that values ego and networking. Two new and troubling patterns are crippling amounts of student debt and the increased exploitation of adjunct labor. I emphasize the importance of considering social class background as a form of diversity in academia and urge continued research on the experiences of working-class academics.

Using NELS data I examine parents’ perceptions of paying for college before their students enter high school. Findings suggest that racial wealth disparities may help explain differences in parents’ perceptions of paying. In addition, Hispanics and low-income families are less likely to have information about financial aid and more likely to report that their child will need to earn money for college. The results suggest that while availability of funds may most affect African Americans parents’ perceptions of paying for college, lack of money and lack of information define the perceptions of Hispanic and low-income parents.

In this chapter, Warnock, Hurst, Barratt, and Salcedo use SERU survey data from 12 public research universities to examine the relationship between social class background and student perceptions of campus climate. The authors draw upon theories and literature of social class inequalities in higher education to frame these analyses. They found that students’ social class background is positively, significantly associated with feelings of belonging, safety, and comfort on campus. Students from lower social class backgrounds are more likely to report hostile interpersonal interactions around social class. This study reinforces past work that demonstrates how institutions of higher education can be alienating environments to working-class and low-income students. The authors conclude their chapter with policy suggestions for improving the campus climate for this often marginalized student population.

While researchers have begun to examine the experiences of working class students in undergraduate education more closely, we know less about the experiences of working class students in graduate school. Through a nationwide survey of graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in Sociology, we examined the extent to which working class students face greater challenges or barriers in completing their degrees compared to their middle class peers. We found working class students to be comparatively disadvantaged in academic integration and financial support. We discuss the implications of these findings for improving the graduate school experiences of working class students.