College students are more likely to be food insecure than the average American. The latest Within Higher Ed a survey found nearly one in five students believe that affordable food on campus can improve their health and well-being.
The cost of a college education is one of the top reasons why students don’t enroll or enroll but then drop out of college. Additional costs and fees associated with being a student, can also hinder academic success and well-being.
College students are more likely to experience food insecurity than the general US population, which may be due to lack of resources, social stigma and busy student schedules, according to previous research. Food can be expensive in a college town or at on-campus restaurants.
In the May 2024 Student Voice survey conducted by Within Higher Ed and Generation Lab, one in five (21 percent) respondents said that creating campus dining strategies or more affordable food prices would be most helpful in improving their overall well-being, out of 11 things their colleges are likely to adopt.
Estimates from the Education Data Initiative put the average monthly cost of meals for a college student at $673, with the average campus meal plan at $570 per month. This is much higher than the average monthly American household spending on food in 2023, which was about $504, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
To improve the health and well-being of students, and to support their learning efforts, colleges and universities can create ways to easily access affordable, nutritious food. Within Higher Ed included five programs and programs in higher education institutions that increase food security.
- University of California, Davis: Free food truck
The AggieEats food truck at UCD serves lunch to students each weekday at various locations around campus, and all meals are discounted or free. Students order food over the phone and can pay as much or as little as they like, no questions asked and no qualifications required.
The program is one way administrators hope to address barriers to aid, including discrimination in accessing basic services and a lack of food preparation resources.
- Anne Arundel Community College: An affordable cookbook
College food pantries can be one way to reduce the cost of paying for food, but if students don’t know how to prepare nutritious food, it can have a negative impact on their overall health. Anne Arundel Community College students have created a cookbook that contains recipes, many of which are relevant to their culture or heritage, using inexpensive ingredients found in the campus cafeteria as ingredients.
The campaign both encourages students to find food on campus and provides education about healthy eating options.
- Virginia Commonwealth University: Smart food pantries
Many colleges and universities host one or two central dining facilities that provide students with dry goods, produce and sometimes frozen or frozen items. The VCU campus is dotted with a dozen mini pantries, which allow students to grab dry food and snacks throughout the day as needed.
Pantries, modeled on the Little Free Library concept, allow students to access food without contact with other students or staff, restrictions on items they can take and specific hours of operation.
- University of California, Irvine: Free food sources
Event organizers often use food as an incentive to attract attendees and participants, and students can benefit from these programs during and after, thanks to the text-based notification system at UCI. Zot Bites texts students after the catered events are over to allow them to pick up leftovers for free, reducing campus food waste and giving students more access to a hot meal.
- Stevens Institute of Technology: Food swipe donations
Campus dining halls often allow students to swipe their campus IDs to purchase food and, for students who may have spent more than they needed on the annual meal plan, donate to their peers in need.
This spring, Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey launched a program called Feed the Flock that allows students to request up to three food swipes per semester, part of the national Swipe Out Hunger program. More than 850 campuses across the country have joined the Swipe Out Hunger network, which helps address food insecurity through free and discounted food donations.
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