Refers to a student who supports themselves financially through part-time or full-time work while attending school. Often used in contexts of financial hardship or self-reliance.
As a working student, he works during the day and attends night university.
Scholarship programs for working students have been expanded.
アルバイト学生 is a more casual term for a student with a part-time job, while 勤労学生 often implies a heavier work burden and a sense of self-support through labor.
Compound of 勤労 (kinrō, 'labor') and 学生 (gakusei, 'student'). The term is straightforward and modern, with no obscure historical derivation.