Significant portions of the college student population have faced food insecurity, according to an analysis of data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 2020 (NPSAS:20).
Dr. Tammeil Y. GilkersonEvergreen Valley College
NPSAS:20 – released earlier this year – offers the first nationally representative data collection about food insecurity and homelessness among U.S. graduate and undergraduate college students, according to Leanne Davis, managing researcher at Education Northwest, an organization committed to advancing equity in education.
The study is conducted every three to four years by the National Center for Education Statistic (NCES), said NCES statistician Dr. Tracy Hunt-White. The data within is extensive and can be disaggregated based on a number of characteristics, including race, academics, and finances.
Experts and advocates gathered for a webinar late last week to discuss the implications and potential responses to these findings.
According to an analysis by Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, senior fellow for Education Northwest and founder of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, almost one in four undergraduate students (23%) and more than one in 10 graduate students (12%) have experienced food insecurity.
“We can also see that that rate is so much higher for students who identify as Black or African American. In fact, it's 35%,” Goldrick-Rab said. “This is really the first time that we know that this is a leading problem that is affecting very large groups of people who have higher rates of non-completion than others."
Not far behind in terms of facing basic needs insecurity are Native American students (30%), and 25% of Hispanic students, according to Goldrick-Rab. Overall, for-profit schools and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have the highest rates of basic needs insecurity for students.
