| Title: |
Filling the Gap: CalFresh Eligibility among University of California and California Community College Students. Updated |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Jesse Rothstein; Johanna Lacoe; Sam Ayers; Karla Palos Castellanos; Elise Dizon-Ross; Anna Doherty; Jamila Henderson; Jennifer Hogg; Sarah Hoover; Alan Perez; Justine Weng; California Policy Lab (CPL) |
| Source: |
California Policy Lab. 2024. |
| Availability: |
California Policy Lab. 2521 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720. e-mail: info@capolicylab.org; Web site: https://capolicylab.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
49 |
| Publication Date: |
2024 |
| Sponsoring Agency: |
Spencer Foundation; Institute of Education Sciences (ED) |
| Contract Number: |
R305A220451 |
| Document Type: |
Reports - Research |
| Education Level: |
Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges |
| Descriptors: |
Eligibility; Community Colleges; Community College Students; Student Financial Aid; Food; Hunger; Security (Psychology); Nutrition; Federal Programs; Welfare Services; Databases; State Universities; Undergraduate Students; Graduate Students; Student Participation; Enrollment Trends; COVID-19; Pandemics; Income; Citizenship; Family Structure; Student Characteristics; Race; Ethnicity |
| Geographic Terms: |
California |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: |
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) |
| Abstract: |
Food insecurity is widespread among college students in the United States. Food benefits delivered through the CalFresh program, California's version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), can reduce hunger by helping students pay for groceries, but may not reach all eligible students. To date, higher education systems have lacked good estimates of the share of their students who are eligible for CalFresh and the share who actually receive benefits. To address this information gap, the California Policy Lab (CPL) partnered with the California Community College (CCC) Chancellor's Office, the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) to build a linked database of student-level administrative data on college enrollment, financial aid, and CalFresh participation. This database covers all students enrolled at CCC or UC campuses from academic years 2010-11 through 2021-22, along with corresponding FAFSA submissions and CalFresh participation. Using these data, researchers are able to measure how many college students are likely eligible for CalFresh, and of those how many participate. This report was updated in August 2024 with updated eligibility statistics that reflect results from a refined simulation of student eligibility for CalFresh. Using the improved simulation, the researchers found that among California Community College students, 20% of students were eligible for CalFresh (an increase from the 16% estimate in the June version of this report), among University of California (UC) undergraduates, 33% were eligible (an increase from 31% in the June report), and among UC graduate students, 7% were eligible (an increase from 6%). |
| Abstractor: |
ERIC |
| IES Funded: |
Yes |
| Entry Date: |
2024 |
| Accession Number: |
ED661364 |
| Database: |
ERIC |