Berkeley, October 8th, 2025 – New research from the nonpartisan California Policy Lab shows how many students in California Community Colleges and in the University of California (UC) system are enrolled in two safety-net programs that help pay for expenses while in college.
One data point focuses on CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids), which provides cash assistance for low income students who are also parents, and for students who are younger than 18.
A second data point focuses on CalFresh, which provides monthly benefits that can be used by low-income students (of any age) to purchase food. CalFresh is much more widely used among college students than CalWORKs.
“CalFresh and CalWORKs can help students pay for food and other everyday expenses while they’re in school,” explains co-author Jesse Rothstein, Carmel P. Friesen Professor of Public Policy, David P. Gardner Professor of Higher Education, and Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley and the faculty director of the California Policy Lab’s UC Berkeley site. “That frees them up to focus on their studies, not just on how to pay their bills.”
It was previously unknown how many college students were enrolled in CalWORKs. The new research provides CalWORKs enrollment numbers, based on administrative records, from Academic Year (AY) 2011-12 through AY 2022-23. In AY 2022-23, there were 57,400 California Community College (CCC) students and 1,200 University of California (UC) students who received CalWORKs benefits, either on their own or via a household member. The average per person monthly benefit had increased from $173 in 2011-12 to a high of $315 in 2021-22 (likely due in part to pandemic-era policies that increased the maximum benefit), decreasing to $256 in 2022-23.
For CalFresh, in AY 2022-23, 14.4% of CCC students, 20.7% of UC undergraduate students, and 12.3% of UC graduate students participated in CalFresh at some point during the school year. All of these rates are up considerably from AY 2021-22. UC participation has increased each year since data collection began in AY 2010-11, with noticeable inflection points in AY 2016-17, coinciding with increased funding for the UC Basic Needs Initiative, and AY 2020-21, when COVID-era policies increased the number of college students who were eligible for CalFresh and increased the amount of benefits most recipients received.
CCC participation rates have been more consistent over the past 15 years, but participation increased more from AY 2021-22 to 2022-23 than any prior year. This increase may be related to the fact that this was the same year that every California Community College campus also had a Basic Needs Center operating on the campus. Basic Needs Centers help students to learn about and apply for CalFresh benefits. Funding for those centers was provided under AB 132, the postsecondary education trailer bill passed in 2021, which provided $100 million for the community college system to launch these centers.
Key findings from CalWORKs data point
At California Community Colleges:
- In 2022–23, about 57,400 students (3% of all CCC students) participated in CalWORKs or lived in a CalWORKs household.
- CalWORKs participation was highest among CCC students in the Central Valley (5.3% of all enrolled students), followed by the Inland Empire (3.7% of students), and San Diego (3.3% of students).
- Students in their 30s had the highest participation rates at the CCCs
At the University of California:
- In 2022–23, about 1,100 undergraduate students (0.5%) and less than 100 graduate students (0.08%) participated in CalWORKs or lived in a CalWORKs household.
- CalWORKs participation is more common at UC Merced than other UC campuses, with 1.2% of students participating (combining undergraduates and graduate students), followed by UC Riverside (0.6%) and UC Santa Cruz (0.5%).
Key findings from CalFresh data point:
At California Community Colleges:
- CalFresh participation rates increased in every CCC region in AY 2022-23 relative to AY 2021-22. The Central Valley continued to have the highest participation rate (21.6%) and had the largest increase from the prior school year (+3.8 percentage points).
- Among CCC students, participation rates were highest for those aged 30 to 34 years old (19.4%). These students comprised 11% of all CCC CalFresh participants, despite being just 8% of CCC students.
At the University of California:
- CalFresh participation rates increased for both undergraduates and graduate students at every UC campus relative to 2021-22 levels.
- UC Santa Barbara and UC Merced continue to have the highest undergraduate participation rates, with over a quarter of students participating (29.5% and 25.2%, respectively), while UC San Francisco continues to have the highest graduate participation rates (34.9%, more than twice that of the next highest campus).
- Among UC undergraduates, participation rates increase with tenure, with seniors having the highest CalFresh participation rate (24.7%) and freshman having the lowest (15.1%).
For more information about CPL’s Student Supports project, please see this overview.
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. The CCDPP will generate new insights and research on what works to better support California students and their families as they transition through the education system.
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The California Policy Lab 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.