#AdvocateFirstGen by Demystifying SNAP Benefits

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) recently announced a joint agreement to strengthen college student access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This partnership will yield guidance and resources you can use to #AdvocateFirstGen and improve outcomes for students experiencing food insecurity.

Food Insecurity Among First-gen College Students

Students experience food insecurity when they lack consistent access to enough food to live active, healthy lives. Today, nearly four million college students are food insecure—with over two million reporting that they’ve repeatedly eaten less than they should or skipped meals because they could not afford food.

Research suggests food insecurity negatively impacts student success. Students experiencing food insecurity report lower grades and higher levels of depression and anxiety than their peers. Food-insecure students are much less likely to graduate, and even when they do, they are less likely to earn advanced degrees.

First-gen students experience food insecurity more frequently and acutely than continuing-gen students. 18% of first-gen students experience food insecurity, compared with just 10% of their peers. Moreover, just 47% of food-insecure first-gen students graduate, while over 65% of food-insecure continuing-gen students do so.

SNAP Access for First-gen College Students

SNAP helps eligible low-income students, many of whom are first-gen, supplement their grocery budgets so they can afford the nutritious food they need to stay healthy and succeed in school. Unfortunately, just 41% of eligible food-insecure students report receiving SNAP benefits.

Research demonstrates students’ knowledge of food resources like SNAP is low. Although food-insecure students can usually name at least a few food resources, they often share incomplete or inaccurate information about these resources. This information gap may be particularly wide for first-gen students, who often lack the social capital necessary to identify and access support. First-gen students may have much more difficulty accessing support through federal programs like SNAP because they must do so through exceptionally complex administrative processes.

The FNS-FSA Partnership

FNS and FSA have begun their campaign to increase SNAP’s accessibility by sending tailored emails to potentially eligible students. These emails inform students of their potential eligibility, outline criteria, and provide application resources. Soon, the agencies will collaborate with colleges to produce accessible student-facing materials that further clarify eligibility criteria and application processes.

The agencies also plan on piloting Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data-sharing projects in ten states. These pilots will permit colleges and the state agencies that administer SNAP, process applications, and determine eligibility to collaborate on student outreach. FNS and FSA will provide technical support to participants as they do so. These pilots may inform updates to existing guidance about the use of FAFSA data for SNAP outreach.

Demystifying SNAP for First-gen College Students

Beyond familiarizing themselves with SNAP eligibility criteria and application processes, faculty and staff can enhance first-gen student access to benefits by:

1. Co-hosting SNAP application workshops with state agencies;
Students may become frustrated or overwhelmed when trying to parse SNAP materials and ultimately decide not to apply. Providing opportunities to work through eligibility criteria and applications with qualified experts may increase the number of students who successfully request support.

2. Equipping student leaders and mentors with accurate SNAP information; and
Students state they prefer to receive food resource information from their peers. While students may be embarrassed to discuss food insecurity with staff, they may be less likely to withhold information from close peers. Sharing accurate information with club leaders and mentors may enhance access to vital resources.

3. Launching coordinated marketing campaigns to promote SNAP resources.
Student subpopulations receive information from a variety of sources. Disseminating accurate information through multiple channels (social media, flyers, in-person events, email, text messages) and modes (videos and text) increases the likelihood the students who benefit from the information will receive it.