The number of single mothers continues to grow across the nation, and many are at a socioeconomic disadvantage. Little research focuses, however, on how single mothers describe their experiences of balancing motherhood, work, and pursuing higher education, all while undergoing food insecurity. Lazarus and Folkman's transactional theory of stress…

Objective: This study explored the relationship between weekly hours worked and food security among full-time college students in the United States, as well as the extent to which this relationship depends on racial identity and regional location. Participants/Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of data from 1,450 full-time college students…

College food insecurity (FI) and poor psychosocial health are prevalent public health issues in the U.S., yet often overlooked. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, repercussions on these critical inequity issues remain unclear. During the summer months of 2020, this cross-sectional survey examined associations between students' self-reported FI and…

In spring 2023, The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (The RP Group) partnered with the CEO Affordability, Food & Housing Access Taskforce of the Community College League of California (CCLC) to assist in survey data collection efforts and provide updated data trends regarding California Community College (CCC)…

There have now been fifteen years of research on the basic needs of college students in the U.S. The studies have primarily focused on assessing the prevalence of food and housing insecurity. Determining who is responsible and finding solutions have been less emphasized. The scholarship has also not framed the problems of students' basic needs…

This study examined the influence of multiple types of insecurity on student GPAs. Data demonstrated that students who did not experience one of the four insecurities had significantly higher GPAs that those facing housing, transportation, and employment barriers; food insecurity or combination; or all four insecurities.

In fiscal year 2023, the federal government spent approximately $31.4 billion dollars on Pell Grants to help over 6 million students with financial need go to college. This substantial federal investment in higher education is at risk of not serving its intended purpose if college students drop out because of limited or uncertain access to food.…

Emerging adulthood is a critical period of development as individuals explore their identities and embark on developmental trajectories. Emerging adulthood may be an especially important period for sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals as they explore, learn, and seek out communities related to their sexuality and gender identity. College…

Qualitative interview data were used to explore the experiences of college students with foster care or homelessness experiences. Participants, with an average age of 21 years, included 18 female and nine male students with a history of homelessness or foster care enrolled in several independent 4-year colleges in one Southeastern state.…

Assessing basic needs of students at colleges and universities is gaining traction across the United States. Our research examined the prevalence of food and housing insecurity at a land-grant institution and its implications on student success. Food insecure students have poorer health status, difficulty concentrating on their studies, lower…

Food insecurity among low income students has increased during COVID-19, and could persist for months or years for students saddled with educational debt or facing uncertain unemployment. Access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for children has a proven effect on reducing childhood food insecurity, and when students…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions to student learning from K-12 to universities and continues to manifest negative effects on students. To better understand the challenges our students face and how those obstacles have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we surveyed our undergraduate ecology students who ranked obstacles to learning…

This two-page executive summary highlights primary points from the report, "Connecting Community College Students to SNAP: Lessons from States That Have Expanded SNAP Access and Minimized the 'Work for Food' Requirement." The report recommends two primary pathways state policymakers, education agencies, college administrators, and…

This report is the latest in a series of studies by the Center for an Urban Future focused on building a more inclusive economy in New York. It is informed by interviews with over 50 experts in college persistence and basic needs access--including staff at community-based organizations (CBOs), faculty and administrators at the City University of…

The State of Student Aid and Higher Education in Texas (SOSA) annual report from Trellis Research provides information helpful in informing policy and programs for higher education student financial aid. The report serves as a reference for colleges, universities, and policymakers, and provides a comparison of Texas state and federal student aid…