The results showed the problem tends to be more severe among community college students, with 42 percent indicating they struggled to
get adequate food, and nine percent indicating they’d gone at least one
full day without eating in the last month because of poor finances. For
four-year university students, the figure was six percent.
The report also found that 46 percent of community college students and 36 percent of university students are housing insecure, which means
they could be dealing with a large range of housing issues – such as
struggling to pay bills, being at risk of eviction, frequently moving
homes, or being homeless.
Shockingly, nine percent of university students and 12 percent of community college students reported being homeless at some point in the
last year, with three percent of students saying they’ve slept in an
abandoned building, car or elsewhere during their studies. 21 percent of
these homeless students felt unsafe where they live.
It’s clear that both food and housing insecurities can have serious, detrimental effects on studies as well as health and well-being, with
Sara Goldrick-Rab, professor of higher-education policy at Temple
University and the lead author of the report, telling NPR:
"It really undermines their ability to do well in school. Their grades suffer, their test scores appear to be lower, and overall, their
chances of graduating are slimmer. They can barely escape their
conditions of poverty long enough to complete their degrees."It’s no
secret that living costs and tuition fees in the US are high - according
to the latest figures from College Board, students at community
colleges (the most affordable option for higher education) will spend an
average of $11,970 on tuition fees, room and board each year.
While the results of this survey cannot reflect all students, similar studies show a clear pattern. For example, 40 percent of
students in the University of California system have reported being food
insecure.
The researchers point out that hunger at university isn’t a new issue, but appears to be “systemic” and getting worse, with increasing
college costs and inadequate financial aid packages blamed for the
problem. Competition for part-time jobs is also high, making it more
difficult for students to self-fund.
And while more lower-income students are attending university thanks to needs-based scholarships and grants, it’s clear that this financial
aid is often simply not enough to make ends meet for many students.
Researchers also point out the importance of universities recognizing and responding to the problems of hunger and homelessness
faced by their students, particularly as students who face these issues
seem to show a great deal of resilience and work just as hard as their
peers.
Goldrick-Rab says: “The level of academic effort — in and outside the classroom — is the same regardless of whether or not students are
dealing with food and housing insecurity. It’s therefore critically
important to match their commitments with supports to ensure degree
completion.”
