Document Category: Research study (not in a journal)

The Real Price of College (2016)

The high price of college is the subject of media headlines, policy debates, and dinner table conversations because of its implications for educational opportunities, student and family pocketbooks, and the economy.1 Some people caution against giving too much weight to the advertised price of a college education, pointing out that the availability of financial aid means that college is not as expensive as people think it is.2 But they overlook a substantial problem: for many students, the real price of college is much higher than what recruitment literature, conventional wisdom, and even official statistics convey. Our research indicates that the current approach to higher education financing too often leaves low-income students facing unexpected, and sometimes untenable, expenses.

The Impacts of COVID-19 on the Experiences of Students with Basic Needs Insecurity: Evidence from a National Survey Basic Needs Insecurity: Evidence from a National Survey (2022)

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected college students’ basic needs, financial security, academic success, caregiving responsibilities, mental health, and more, according to the Fall 2020 Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) conducted by Trellis Company. Researchers surveyed 37,936 students at 62 two- and four-year colleges and universities from October to November 2020 and found 53 percent (n=20,095) indicated one or more forms of basic needs insecurity (BNI). This brief examines data from students with BNI with a special lens on their mental health, familial responsibilities and finances, employment, and financial security. These results highlight the disparate impacts of the pandemic among basic needs insecure students.

No Food for Thought: Insights on Basic Needs Insecurities and Mental Health Challenges from Trellis’ Fall 2020 Student Financial Wellness Survey (2022)

More than half of students were experiencing one or more basic need insecurities at the time of the survey—50 percent of four- year students and 54 percent of two-year students. • Nearly one in ten students— nine percent—had experienced homelessness, food insecurity, and housing insecurity within the past year (from October/November 2019 to October/November 2020). • The majority of respondents with BNI reported the COVID-19 outbreak had added to their levels of stress, anxiety, or depression— 89 percent at two-year colleges and 92 percent at four-year institutions. • Respondents with demonstrated basic needs insecurities were more likely to work while enrolled, identify as a first-generation student, be female, and financially support children or other dependents.

Basic Needs Insecurities among College Students at Minority-Serving Institutions (2022)

Almost two-thirds of students at HBCUs, PBIs, and HSIs had experienced basic needs insecurities (i.e., food insecurity, housing insecurity, or homelessness) while in college. • Nearly half (44 percent) of surveyed students at participating minorityserving institutions were food insecure. • Eleven percent had faced all three forms of basic needs insecurity within the past year (from October/November 2020 to October/November 2021). • Respondents with basic needs insecurities were more likely to be female, identify as a first-generation student, and indicate they were likely suffering from anxiety and/or depressed mood.

The State of Food Security at CUNY in 2020 (2020)

In this report, we examine the prevalence and distribution of food insecurity at CUNY at the start of 2020. We also describe and assess the variety of programs, policies and services CUNY and its partners have developed to reduce food insecurity and suggest options for further reducing food insecurity in the coming years. Our goal is to provide the key constituencies at CUNY—its leaders, faculty and staff, students, and the City and State elected officials who fund CUNY—with the evidence they need to make informed decisions about promoting food security and academic success at CUNY. At the end of the report, we provide a brief overview of preliminary evidence on how the COVID-19 epidemic has affected food security at CUNY and the university’s options for reducing it.

Food Insecurity and Homelessness in American Higher Education: An Overview of New Nationally Representative Estimates (2023)

UPDATE: New version amended with additional table (July 30, 2023)

This memo offers new nationally representative estimates of food insecurity and homelessness affecting the nation’s college students, obtained from the just-released National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 2020 (NPSAS), and compares them to estimates from my prior research studies conducted at The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.

The results confirm that a sizable number of the nation’s college students—including graduate students—are food insecure and some are homeless. As long suspected, the rate is higher for college students than for the broader public. Moreover, we can now see that basic needs insecurity is a problem at every type of college and university and cuts across student demographics and even traditional measures of income and financial need.

● 23% of undergraduates and 12% of graduate students experienced food insecurity.
● 8% of undergraduates and 5% of graduate students experienced homelessness.
● Basic needs insecurity affects 35% of Black/African American students, 30% of Native American students, and 25% of Hispanic students.
● For-profit colleges and universities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities have the highest rates of basic needs insecurity among their students.

The coalition of institutions willing to assess and address these problems had higher rates of the challenges— now that all institutions are included the averages are lower, yet still substantial. We owe a debt of gratitude to those brave institutions that led the way and convinced the federal government to count what matters most to students – the security of their basic needs.