As the Price of Higher Education Rises, College Students Face Housing and Food Insecurity

Draws on data from four surveys representing more than 30,000 two- and four-year college students at 121 colleges and universities across 26 states. The questionnaires used measurements of food and housing insecurity, including the US Department of Agriculture’s validated six-item food security scale; ability to sufficiently pay rent and utilities; experience of sheltered or unsheltered homelessness; or living doubled up because of financial problems. The findings suggest that to increase college completion rates, greater attention must be given to material hardship faced by college students.