Going Without: An Exploration of Food and Housing Insecurity Among Undergraduates

Abstract

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% of 2-year college students have very low levels of food security. At least one-third of 2-year students are housing insecure, including up to 14% who are homeless, whereas between 11% and 19% of 4-year students are housing insecure. Most of these students work and receive financial aid, but only a fraction receive public or private assistance to help make ends meet. Implications for research on college affordability and efforts to boost college graduation rates are discussed.

Addressing Community College Completion Rates by Securing Students’ Basic Needs

“…Homelessness means that a person is without a place to live, often residing in a shelter, a car, abandoned building or outside, while housing insecurity includes a broader set of challenges such as the inability to pay rent or utilities or the need to move frequently. There is an increasingly robust body of evidence that community college students are affected by all of these conditions, and that they are more affected than the general population (Broton & Goldrick‐Rab, ).…”

“…Students are food insecure if they are at the low or very lowest levels of food security, indicating that they have most or all of those problems. Studies indicate that more than half of all community college students are food insecure, and at least one in five are at the very lowest levels of food security (Broton & Goldrick‐Rab, ; Bruening, Argo, Payne‐Sturges, & Laska, )…”

“…In contrast, homelessness focuses on sheltered or unsheltered homelessness, asking students where they sleep rather than whether they identify as homeless, as few students experiencing homelessness identify that way. Researchers estimate that half of community college students are housing insecure, and that 12–14% of community college students are homeless (Broton & Goldrick‐Rab, ; Dubick, Mathews, & Cady, ; Goldrick‐Rab, Broton, & Eisenberg, ; Goldrick‐Rab, Broton, & Hernandez, ; Goldrick‐Rab, Richardson, Schneider, Hernandez, & Cady, ).…”

“…Most community college students experiencing basic needs insecurity work and receive financial aid (Broton & Goldrick‐Rab, ). They need supports beyond aid.…”

From Proprietary Textbook to Custom OER Solution: Using Learner Feedback to Guide Design and Development

“…That term, many students did not purchase the assigned textbook because of its cost. For some, the purchase was cost-prohibitive; these students may have found themselves in a position where a textbook purchase would exacerbate an already tenuous financial existence as students (Broton & Goldrick-Rab, 2017). For others, the cost-benefit of purchasing the textbook was unclear.…”