Providing “financial aid for food,” a term coined by NCAN board member Catalina Cifuentes,
is a top priority for NCAN. By this, we mean permanently expanding SNAP, or the Supplemental, Nutrition, Assistance Program, eligibility for college students who, prior to the pandemic, were
largely precluded from receiving SNAP if they were enrolled in college half-time or more. Research from
the Hope Center suggests widespread food insecurity among college students, with about half of all postsecondary students worried about running out of food.
Flexibilities put in place during COVID expanded SNAP eligibility to college students who are eligible to participate in state or federal work-study or those with a $0 expected family income (EFC). But those temporary changes will end when the federal government lifts the official designation of the nationwide
health emergency, widely expected in early 2023.
The national strategy to combat hunger,
released in concert with the conference, contained several notable references to assisting college students. First, it calls out the outdated SNAP eligibility requirements for college students. “SNAP’s college student eligibility restrictions
are out of date given the current population who seek higher education credentials, many of whom are older, have low income, and hold caregiving responsibilities,” and commits to working with Congress to expand the program. Second, it says the
U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will establish an MOU to conduct joint outreach to Pell Grant recipients and others to inform them of their potential eligibility for SNAP benefits. Restrictive eligibility
rules aside, only four in ten college students who are eligible for SNAP receive it, so more aggressive and effective outreach could go a long way. States have an important role to play too. They can streamline the application process, encourage or mandate data-sharing between counties, make presumptive eligible determinations and more.
The national strategy unveiled this week also commits ED to conducting a survey to better understand how higher education institutions addressed food insecurity on college campuses and to convening institutions to “lift up best practices
for addressing food insecurity on college campuses.” It also references additional resources for research on nutrition and food security at HCBUs, MSIs, and tribal colleges, and commits to assessing opportunities to expand, train, and diversify
the nutrition science workforce in partnership with MSIs and HBCUs.
Perhaps the most significant announcement related to college students to emerge from the conference was the announcement that Benefits Data Trust,
an NCAN member, will be “releasing a toolkit in January to help higher education institutions identify students who are likely eligible for food assistance, Medicaid, and the new Affordable Connectivity Program that provides $30 a month toward
internet service.” As Benefits Data Trust said in their announcement, this toolkit will be particularly critical when the pandemic emergency order expires, and states must revert to the limiting rules for accessing SNAP assistance among college
students. At NCAN, we look forward to sharing this toolkit and other updates with you when they become available, and to working in partnership to address food insecurity among the students we serve.
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