Student access to basic necessities is essential to creating a supportive and thriving college environment. Basic needs insecurity among college students is a growing concern for institutions of higher education (IHEs). Basic needs insecurity extends beyond unmet food and housing needs; it also includes access to mental and physical healthcare, transportation, childcare, dependent care, technology, and personal hygiene items such as menstrual products. Limited access to basic needs adversely affects students’ social, emotional, and academic performance, as well as college persistence and completion.
College students experience basic needs insecurity at higher rates compared to the general population. Estimates on the scope of basic needs insecurity among college students vary widely, ranging from 10 to 75 percent. However, a national survey conducted by Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice found that nearly three in five college students experienced basic needs insecurity, including 75 percent of Indigenous, 70 percent of Black, and 70 percent of American Indian or Alaska Native students. Other student groups with high rates of basic needs insecurity include those who identify as LGBTQ, students with children, Pell Grant recipients, and students who attend school part time.
To support IHEs’ efforts to address basic needs insecurity, NCSSLE offers helpful resources for administrators and staff to identify and support students with unmet basic needs.
Featured Resources
Exploring Basic Needs Support Across Public and Community College Libraries: Opportunities for Collaboration: Aims to explore opportunities and provide actionable guidance to libraries seeking to create or strengthen collaborations to enhance the basic needs resources and services they offer. As a first step, we developed an inventory of how libraries use their websites to publicize information about the basic needs resources and services they provide.
Increasing Undergraduate Retention in Appalachia through a Mentored Undergraduate Research Experience: Describes the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP), a mentored undergraduate research experience implemented in 2017 at a public land-grant institution located in the Appalachian region. The article focuses on RAP’s approach to recruiting, retaining, and supporting students in faculty-mentored research and creative inquiry.
Investing in the Power and Potential of Families: Outlines Generation Hope’s five-year strategic path to ensure future where all families regardless of their zip code or racial or ethnic background have access to educational and career opportunities that allow them to pursue their dreams and to live safe and healthy lives.
New Mexico Higher Education 2023-2024 Student Basic Needs Report: Presents findings from the University of New Mexico’s Basic Needs Project which conducted a statewide survey of basic needs insecurity among students, faculty, and staff currently enrolled or employed in the state’s public institutions of higher education. Twenty seven of the state’s twenty-nine institutions participated in the study, all of which are federally designation Minority Serving Institutions.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Estimated Eligibility and Receipt among Food Insecure College Students: Describes what Education's National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) data show about food insecurity among college students and their access to Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. GAO's estimates are based on 2020 NPSAS data, which were the most recent available.
