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Berkeley, February 4, 2025 — The nonpartisan California Policy Lab (CPL) released new research today showing the average amount of CalFresh benefits that participating college students received each month before and during the pandemic. CalFresh benefits can provide a significant boost to student’s food budgets, and the researchers found that on average, University of California (UC) undergraduate students participating in CalFresh receive larger monthly benefit amounts than participating California Community College students. Before the pandemic, participating UC undergraduates received $161 in monthly benefits, on average, as compared to $123, on average for Community College students. The researchers found that federal policy changes during the pandemic temporarily increased these amounts, nearly doubling them to $303 and $245, respectively.
College students face higher rates of food insecurity than the general population, and programs like CalFresh can help them afford nutritious meals. Despite its potential, earlier research by the California Policy Lab estimates that in a given term, about 300,000 eligible UC and Community College students don’t enroll in the program, leaving millions of dollars in benefits unclaimed. One possible reason given by students for not enrolling is a belief that they will only receive the minimum monthly amount of $23 a month — however, the new research shows that’s not the case for the overwhelming majority of students who participate.
“College students are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, and programs like CalFresh can help students meet their basic needs, especially amid rising food prices,” explains co-author Jesse Rothstein, Professor of Public Policy and Economics at UC Berkeley and the faculty director of the California Policy Lab’s UC Berkeley site. “This research underscores the critical role CalFresh can play in making college more affordable for low-income college students.”
The new research can offer valuable insights for students, higher education administrators, and policymakers on CalFresh’s role in making college more affordable for low-income students. It can also inform information campaigns targeted to students, showing them that most eligible students are receiving $100 or more each month.
“Among those who access CalFresh benefits, two-thirds of California Community College students and almost 90 percent of University of California students receive $100 or more each month. That’s a big boost for students on a tight budget.” adds co-author Jennifer Hogg, the Senior Research Manager at the California Policy Lab’s UC Berkeley site.
About This Research
This research was conducted in partnership with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the University of California Office of the President, the California Department of Social Services, and the California Student Aid Commission. To conduct this research, CPL and these partners worked together to build the first-ever linked database of student-level administrative data on college enrollment, financial aid, and CalFresh participation. It is part of CPL’s ongoing efforts to support low-income Californians.
For more information, visit the Student Supports Overview.
Background on CalFresh and this research
This research is conducted through the new California College Data and Policy Project (CCDPP). The Project is a joint initiative of the California Policy Lab and the Center for Studies in Higher Education, and is led by Professor Jesse Rothstein, the Carmel Friesen Chair in Public Policy and David Gardner Chair in Higher Education and a Professor of Public Policy and Economics at UC Berkeley. CPL is grateful to the University of California Office of the President Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives, The James Irvine Foundation, and the Woven Foundation for their generous support.
CalFresh is California’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also commonly known as Food Stamps. In recent years, California has worked to help more eligible students receive CalFresh (for example, by funding Basic Needs Centers that help students to sign up for CalFresh), but these efforts have been hampered by a lack of understanding about how many students are eligible, and of that group, how many participate. College students also face a unique set of eligibility rules that advocates suggest may deter students from applying or continuing to participate in CalFresh.
For more information about CPL’s Student Supports project, please see this overview.
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The California Policy Lab is an institute based at the University of California that generates research insights for government impact. Through hands-on partnerships with government agencies, CPL performs rigorous research across issue silos and builds the data infrastructure necessary to improve programs and policies that millions of Californians rely on every day.