Financial support and financial well-being for vocational school students in China

To address persistent and widespread poverty across China, particularly in rural areas, the Chinese government initiated the Targeted Poverty Alleviation Policy. As a result, several programs have been established to provide financial support to students from low-income families. This study used a primary dataset that came from senior students at a vocational school in Sichuan province to examine the relationship between financial support programs and the financial well-being of vocational school students. The results indicate that the receipt of cash assistance for education and the amount received were both associated with financial well-being of the students. In addition, the effects of the policy on students' financial well-being differed by their poverty status - students who were previously in poverty but were no longer living in poverty reported greater financial well-being than those who were still living in poverty at the time of data collection. Policy implications are discussed.