Qualifying for Public Food Benefits Is More Complicated for College Students. The EATS Act Would Make It Easier.
By Jennifer Hogg
With the rising costs of college tuition and living expenses, many college students struggle to afford necessities such as food and shelter while attending school. Recent surveys reveal that about half of California community college students are food insecure, exceeding the national average by about 10 percentage points.
To address this problem, California has put significant effort into connecting more food-insecure college students to CalFresh (known nationally as SNAP) benefits. Colleges in all three higher education segments (University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges) have increased the number of staff dedicated to supporting student basic needs, with some specifically hired to connect more students to CalFresh. The state legislature has also passed several new laws focused on this issue, including laws providing funding for county human services agency liaisons to collaborate with college campuses (AB 1326), requiring colleges to provide information on CalFresh as part of their new student orientation (AB 543), funding basic needs centers at community colleges (SB129), and mandating a uniform template for colleges to use to notify students of their eligibility for CalFresh (SB 20).
However, these efforts have been hampered by a lack of understanding of how many students are eligible for CalFresh benefits, what their characteristics are, and how big the take-up gap is. To provide that information, the California Policy Lab (CPL) partnered with California agencies and higher education systems to generate the first estimates of CalFresh participation and eligibility rates for California students.
Only a Quarter of Eligible Students Participate in CalFresh
In a recent report, CPL estimates that about 20% of community college students are eligible for CalFresh. Of those who are eligible, only 26% participate. These results combined with survey findings suggest that CalFresh as currently structured is not reaching most food-insecure students.
Why are the eligibility and take-up rates so low? One likely reason is the so-called “student rule,” which was enacted in 1977 to prohibit college students nationwide from accessing SNAP unless they meet one of several “exemptions,” such as working 20 or more hours per week or parenting a young child without sufficient support. These extra rules for students were originally put in place to prevent students from wealthy families from accessing benefits while in college. However, the exemptions enumerated in state and federal law may not be enough to capture all students in need of benefits.
Even for students who meet these extra eligibility requirements, the added complexity likely contributes to much lower take-up than in the general population; only 26% of eligible community college students access CalFresh, compared with 70% of all eligible Californians.
Federal Bills Would Ease Eligibility Requirements
The federal Enhance Access To SNAP Act (EATS Act), introduced through companion bills in the House and Senate in May 2023, would remove these additional eligibility restrictions for students. College students would be assessed for eligibility using the same rules as everyone else. The bills have 173 and 13 cosponsors, respectively, but the fate of the act is uncertain. Its likeliest path forward is as part of the Farm Bill, which Congress has vowed to pass in 2024 after delaying reauthorization last year.
In lieu of federal action, college basic needs centers, state government agencies, and advocates are working to address student hunger. CPL’s report highlights a few state policy opportunities to expand CalFresh eligibility within the federal rules. For example, one possible strategy would be to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding for Cal Grants that reach community college students. This would mean those students meet an exemption and are therefore eligible for CalFresh. Currently, this exemption is only available to four-year college students. However, the EATS Act would be the most straightforward path to expand eligibility and remove some of the complexity that keeps students from successfully accessing benefits. Enrollment in community colleges decreased significantly during the pandemic, but making supports such as CalFresh more accessible to college students could help more students to enroll and complete their studies.
CPL will continue to serve as a research partner in California’s efforts to support student basic needs. If you would like to learn more about this project, you can visit the project website or reach out to Research Manager Jennifer Hogg at jennifer@capolicylab.org.
