SummaryA thorough analysis of the phenomenon of combining working and studying among university students is made using data obtained from surveys of graduates carried out four years after finishing their degrees. First, the article revises the evolution of the phenomenon over the last ten years taking the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU) labour market insertion surveys for 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014 into account. Second, the 2008 and 2014 waves are compared to analyse the impact of the economic crisis. In this case, how combining working and studying affects academic results and labour market insertion is studied, in addition to whether or not differences occur according to the educational background of the family. The evolution shows how the numbers of students that combine work and study has increased, especially among those whose parents have a low educational level. Furthermore, this increase means that lower marks are obtained and there is a greater degree of inequality in labour market insertion, depending on the educational background of the family of origin. In general, the relationship between the different variables shows how combining working and studying has negative effects on marks, but positive effects on labour market insertion, especially if the experience of work while at university is related to the studies.