Many California college students experiencing food insecurity aren’t getting the assistance they’re eligible for

Even though California college and university students have had access to CalFresh, the state’s federally funded food assistance program, since 2022, nearly 45% of food-insecure students surveyed in a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) said they have never used the program, and 9% have never even heard of it.

Food insecurity — defined as having limited or uncertain access to adequate food — does more than harm students’ physical and mental health. Students experiencing food insecurity are more likely to have lower grade-point averages and to report frequent thoughts of dropping out or reducing their courseload, potentially delaying graduation.

“Common sense says it’s harder to be successful as a student when you’re not always sure where your next meal is coming from,” said AJ Scheitler, director of the data equity center at the UCLA CHPR and lead author of the report. “What’s more troubling is that so many students who are eligible for financial support to purchase food aren’t using it, whether through lack of awareness or insufficient assistance navigating the application process.”

The researchers, who were from UCLA and California State University, Fullerton, worked with on-campus basic needs programs at two University of California campuses (UCLA and UC Davis), two Cal State universities (Fullerton and Fresno), and two community colleges (Los Angeles Mission College and Napa Valley College). These programs connect qualifying students to the CalFresh application process.

In gathering information from interviews, surveys and focus groups with students experiencing food insecurity, staff who work in basic needs offices, and other experts and stakeholders, the researchers learned of problems common at most locations. These included insufficient staffing in basic needs offices, a lack of coordination between campuses and county CalFresh programs, and data about students’ financial circumstances being siloed among different campus offices.

Three years ago, California became one of the first states in the country to offer college students access to benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, known as CalFresh in California. As other states consider similar measures and CalFresh administrators and campus officials seek to increase student participation, the report’s authors wanted to study what was effective and what could be improved.

Students who are not married, have dependents, or share food resources with roommates, can receive CalFresh benefits of up to $291 monthly. Recipients can use the benefits to purchase approved food items at locations where Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is accepted. They must renew their benefits every six months and recertify annually.

Because the 2022 legislation giving college students access to CalFresh benefits was not accompanied by specific guidance from CalFresh or from any of the state’s three higher education systems, individual campuses largely developed their own approaches to implementation, the study said.

Among the study’s findings:

• 50% of California college students who were surveyed experienced food insecurity, including 28% who skipped meals because they couldn’t afford food.
• More than 70% of students at California community colleges reported being food insecure, followed by more than 50% of Cal State students and 42% of UC students.
• Among food-insecure students who had heard of CalFresh but never used it, the primary reasons for not doing so were that they believed they were ineligible for it (50.3%), they did not know how to apply (27.8%), and they did not have time to apply (14.4%).

To be eligible for CalFresh, college students must work at least 20 hours per week or meet other criteria like studying in a program that qualifies for the Local Programs that Increase Employability (LPIE) designation. LPIEs are programs approved by the California Department of Social Services as containing at least one employment and training component. To receive benefits, students must complete an application, undergo a review of their finances, and be interviewed.

Not all students experiencing food insecurity are eligible for CalFresh. In some cases, a student or their family may not meet income eligibility criteria, for example.

The student subpopulations most likely to report being food insecure were students who had been in the foster care system, those who are among the first generation in their families to pursue higher education, and those who are disabled.

“Students having enough food to eat is about more than hunger and nutrition,” Scheitler said. “Our research shows that food security is also a matter of educational equity.”

How to increase student use of CalFresh: Recommendations

In addition to their report, the researchers produced fact sheets for higher education administrators, CalFresh administrators and policymakers.

Some of the key recommendations for colleges and universities include:

• Increase and stabilize staffing in campus basic needs offices.
• Build relationships between basic needs and financial aid offices. Students who use one basic need service should be informed about or screened for potential participation in CalFresh, as well as other available social services.

Recommendations for policymakers include:

• Connect financial aid information directly to the CalFresh application system. Offer students the option to allow information from their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to automatically feed into a CalFresh application.
• Link assistance programs so that students can prequalify or partially qualify for programs with similar eligibility requirements. For example, a student receiving a Cal Grant could be notified that they likely qualify for CalFresh, which has similar eligibility requirements.

Recommendations for CalFresh/SNAP administrators include:

• Increase the transparency of application outcomes to applicants and institutional staff, particularly regarding reasons for application denials.
• Support relationships between county CalFresh programs and academic institutions — for example, by ensuring that some SNAP program staff are familiar with student-specific requirements.