Report: A Third of College Students in California with Food and Housing Insecurity
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reposted from “http://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-09-13/a-third-of-college-students-in-california-face-food-and-housing-insecurity-report”
Report: A Third of College Students in California Face Food and Housing Insecurity
A new survey by the California Student Aid Commission shows students’ financial worries extend far past tuition.
Students walk near Royce Hall on the campus of University of California, Los Angeles.(Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Nearly one in three college students in California faces food and housing insecurity, according to the California Student Aid Commission’s 2018-2019 Student Expenses and Resources Survey (SEARS) released Thursday.
The survey, which sampled 150,000 college students from four-year institutions in 2018 and community colleges in 2019, found that students’ financial concerns extend far beyond tuition and fees. All California State Universities and University of California institutions were represented in the study, according to the report.
Community colleges and both for-profit and nonprofit private institutions were sampled by region. The survey, which was first administered in the early 1970s, was revamped after a 10-year hiatus to give policymakers better insight into the financial needs of California students.
Nearly two-thirds of students cited either the cost of college or balancing school and work responsibilities as their biggest obstacle to success. Students selected those obstacles over all other stressors, including the difficulty level of classes, too little support from friends or family, and difficulty balancing school and family responsibilities.
The survey also found that black and Hispanic students were more likely to access financial aid, including federal Pell grants or the state Cal Grant, and other forms of public assistance, but were also more likely than other students to report food insecurity or housing insecurity.
“According to this first look at our SEARS findings, many students do not have the financial means to cover college costs, nor do they have access to sufficient aid,” Marlene Garcia, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, wrote in the report. “In many cases, they are skipping meals, sleeping in cars, or otherwise going deeper into poverty — all in the name of pursuing higher education.”
California students’ struggle to afford housing and food reflect a larger state trend. The state ranks No. 49 for its cost of living and housing affordability in U.S. News’ 2019 Best States rankings. The Golden State ranks No.18 for low food insecurity, but its GINI index, measuring income inequality among households, is No. 47.
California students actually incur some of the lowest debt of any state after graduation (ranking No. 5 for low debt), and the state also fares well for low tuition fees, placing No. 18 in the Best States rankings.
But students in California pay an average of nearly $2,000 per month during the academic year beyond tuition and fees, according to the survey. These expenses include books, housing, transportation and other personal expenses.
A student from the greater Sacramento area was anonymously quoted in the report explaining that she was working 36 hours a week during the school year and full time during the summer to help pay both her expenses and her family’s expenses.
“However, my grades suffered dearly as a Computer Science major. I am now working less hours, but I do not have enough for food or health,” the student said.
Report link: https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/2018-19_student_expenses_and_resources_survey_web.pdf
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Save money on books, school supplies and everything you want to enjoy college! Financial aid, back in the olden days meant grants, scholarships, work study jobs. Loans were part of the package, but since they are available, ‘common thought’ was it is not financial aid – it was however a low interest loan. If you’re dependent on your parents, and they are below a certain income, most colleges give you much monies to help you attend their school. The middle class student with 2 working parents pays much more for their child to attend school and that student often can’t get work study job on campus. Those jobs are limited to the kids with financial aid.
If you can, or your parents can, to lower your loan debt when you leave school, if you have any monies, try to pay at least the interest while you are in school. Many loans start adding interest the day they are used to pay for school. So a $10,000 loan becomes a $12,000 amount when you leave school (example each loan is different) If you pay the interest (example $25 per month) then the $10,000 loan is only $10,000 when you leave school.