Given growing awareness of the high prevalence of food insecurity among college students, higher education leaders are implementing various food interventions on their campuses. However, there is little research on the efficacy and impact of these initiatives. Using data from a field randomized control trial, we find that a relatively modest…

Background: A substantial share of undergraduates are basic needs insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to essential material goods like food and shelter. These material hardships are associated with poorer academic success, but we know very little about higher education professionals' perspectives on the matter. Purpose: This paper…

Roughly one-in-five college students provide primary care to at least one child while pursuing a higher education credential. Yet parenting students remain an often-overlooked group and continue to receive inadequate support. They experience basic needs insecurity at alarming rates, reducing their odds of completing valuable degrees. Shortages on…

This report examines the first-ever national survey of campus food pantries, with 262 participating institutions, 217 of which currently operate pantries. We find that most campus pantries have a designated space on campus, serve exclusively the on-campus community, and are run by staff, students, and faculty. Very few campus pantries have sizable…

Food and housing insecurities are serious challenges confronting community college students. This chapter reviews the evidence on prevalence and correlates of basic needs insecurity and discusses institutional actions to support students.

The rising price of higher education and its implications for equity and accessibility have been extensively documented, but the material conditions of students' lives are often overlooked. Data from more than 30,000 two- and 4-year college students indicate that approximately half are food insecure, and recent estimates suggest that at least 20%…

This report is an in-depth case study of the No Excuses Poverty Initiative at Amarillo College (AC), a midsize community college in the Texas Panhandle. Nearly a decade ago, AC's leadership initiated a reflective and intentional series of steps to help alleviate the conditions of poverty affecting their students and promote the chances those…

Students and families all over the country are saving, working, taking out loans, and taking steps to make college affordable. Yet they still find themselves facing an unreasonably high price for college, with unexpected, and sometimes untenable, expenses, and fall short of the resources they need to successfully complete degrees. Financial…