California’s high school seniors are now in the process of receiving their college acceptance letters. For many families, cost will be an important factor: two-thirds of parents are worried about affording college. While the state’s generous financial aid system covers tuition for many low-income students, food and housing costs remain a challenge. A new PPIC report finds that safety net programs such as CalFresh and Medi-Cal can help alleviate the burden. But many income-eligible students do not enroll.
We talked with basic needs experts Amy Gonzales of Chico State University and Dr. Connie Marmolejo of UC Riverside about barriers to safety net participation faced by eligible students, as well as strategies for lowering these barriers. We focus here on CalFresh; unlike Medi-Cal, it has student-specific eligibility requirements. Here are some highlights from our conversation:
Basic needs centers face resource constraints. Campus basic need centers offer a broad range of services and usually have high student-to-staff ratios; as a result, their ability to do outreach and offer personalized support is limited.
Centers can optimize resources. Basic needs centers can expand their outreach efforts by using peer-to-peer support. For example, at community colleges across the state, student ambassadors boost capacity and offer peer-to-peer connections that encourage help-seeking behavior and reduce the stigma around food insecurity and financial need.
Bringing staff into spaces where students gather can help get information directly to students and make it easier to collect feedback that staff can use to improve services. In addition, California’s planned cradle-to-career database and statewide data-sharing agreement will help colleges and the California Student Aid Commission identify low-income students who are likely to be eligible for assistance so that they can connect them with benefits.
Students face administrative burdens when it comes to CalFresh eligibility. Many students find it challenging to navigate college, finances, and complex safety net program requirements. Many struggle to gather documents such as proof of residency, and mistakes such as improperly screenshotting documents are common. The interview requirement can also contribute to delays or denials, especially for students who unable to attend in person. Adding to the burden, students are required to reapply for CalFresh every six months. Research at the national level suggests that students are more likely to be stymied by a complex application process than nonstudents.
Colleges can help ease student burdens. One-on-one application assistance is essential, helping reduce errors and addressing questions in real time. County higher education liaisons or program navigators can serve as points of contact for academic counselors and other college staff; they can ease capacity constraints, streamline communication with students, and reduce administrative roadblocks. To lower the interview barrier, county offices can offer flexible options; this would benefit both students and county offices that struggle to manage a surge of applications at the start of the academic year.
Student eligibility rules limit access to CalFresh. To qualify for CalFresh, students must meet the standard eligibility criteria and satisfy at least one additional requirement, such as working 20 hours per week, being a single parent, receiving a TANF-funded benefit, or pursuing a major that improves employability, per an approved list. The student-specific requirement excludes 25% of students who meet income criteria.
Policymakers can alter eligibility rules for college students. Policymakers can proactively expand the list of approved majors. For example, some stakeholders recommend increasing the number of TANF-funded Cal Grants, which is one of several ways for students to meet a student-specific CalFresh eligibility requirement. And the list of educational programs can be expanded. Students pursuing higher education, regardless of major, are generally improving their employability.
Addressing capacity constraints, complex application processes, and restrictive student eligibility criteria requires action at state, county, and college levels. Trade-offs may be necessary—but connecting students to federally funded resources is a critical investment in student well-being as well as in California’s economic future.
