Persistent Food Insecurity Among California College Students Despite Aid Efforts

Despite California's efforts to combat food insecurity among college students, recent studies reveal that a significant portion of the student population continues to struggle with access to adequate nutrition, impacting their health and academic success.

In January 2025, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research released a study indicating that nearly 45% of food-insecure students had never utilized CalFresh, California's federally funded food assistance program, with 9% unaware of its existence. This, coupled with earlier findings from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and The Hope Center, underscores the persistent challenges students face in meeting basic needs, which can impede their educational success.

Food insecurity—defined as having limited or uncertain access to adequate food—has been a longstanding issue among California's college students. A 2019 survey by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice revealed that over half of California community college students faced food insecurity, and nearly 20% experienced homelessness. These findings highlight the ongoing challenges students face in meeting basic needs, which can impede their educational success.

The UCLA study found that among food-insecure students who had heard of CalFresh but never used it, 50.3% believed they were ineligible, 27.8% did not know how to apply, and 14.4% lacked the time to apply. The study recommends increasing campus staff and improving coordination with county governments to enhance CalFresh participation.

The prevalence of food and housing insecurity among college students has profound societal implications. Students experiencing basic needs insecurity are more likely to have lower grade-point averages and to report frequent thoughts of dropping out or reducing their courseload, potentially delaying graduation. Food insecurity adversely affects students' physical and mental health, leading to increased stress, anxiety, and other health issues. Delayed graduations and dropouts due to basic needs insecurity can result in a less educated workforce, potentially impacting the state's economy.

To address these challenges, several recommendations and policy initiatives have been proposed. These include increasing campus support by enhancing staffing in campus basic needs offices to assist students in accessing available resources, improving coordination by building relationships between basic needs and financial aid offices to streamline support services, and implementing policy initiatives such as Assembly Bill 2033, which requires at least one market on each public college and university campus to accept CalFresh.

Comparing the 2019 survey with the 2025 UCLA study indicates persistent challenges in addressing food insecurity among college students. While awareness and some support mechanisms have improved, significant gaps remain in program utilization and resource accessibility.

By exploring these aspects, the article provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of food insecurity among California college students and the efforts being made to address it.