Homeless College Students: Statistics, Resources, and the Crisis of Housing Insecurity
Many college students face the challenge of housing insecurity, struggling to balance the demands of their program while worrying about where to sleep at night. No student should have to face these difficulties. Homelessness among students enrolled in higher education has been a longstanding invisible issue, as many may not disclose their situations due to stigma and shame. Pursuing a college education without stable housing can have a devastating impact on a student’s chance of earning a degree. It is extremely hard to earn a degree when there is no place to study, sleep, or shower.
Understanding the Scope of Student Homelessness
Homelessness can happen at any age, including to college students. Being a student experiencing homelessness looks different for everyone. Most experience couch-surfing, sleeping in their cars, staying at shelters, or sleeping on the street all year round. Many can secure campus housing while classes are in session, but are consistently reminded that they don’t have a place to go when fall, winter, and spring breaks come around - reuniting students with their families, their home.
According to data from the Hope Center’s 2021 Basic Needs Survey, although 14 percent of students at both 2-and 4-year institutions experienced homelessness in the 12 months prior to the survey, only 2 percent of students enrolled at 4-year institutions self-identified as homeless (3 percent at 2-year colleges).
The Department of Education released a major federal report confirming that students in higher education are struggling to meet their basic needs. For the first time in its 36-year history, the federal government released data on students experiencing food insecurity and homelessness as part of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). As a result, the 2019-20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20) contains the first nationally representative data on food insecurity and homelessness among undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in postsecondary education in the United States.
The newly released statistics confirm that colleges and universities of all types serve undergraduate and graduate students experiencing food insecurity and homelessness. Overall, 23% of undergraduates, and 12% of graduate students, are experiencing food insecurity. This means more than 4 million students are food insecure. And eight percent of undergraduate and 5% of graduate students are experiencing homelessness, translating to more than 1.5 million students.
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Key Findings from NPSAS:20
The NPSAS:20 data include responses from about 80,800 undergraduate students and 19,700 graduate students attending 2,200 postsecondary institutions in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, with a response rate of 60.0%. According to NCES, the results represent 17.1 million undergraduate and 3.6 million graduate students enrolled at Title IV eligible institutions at any time between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020-totals adjusted for students enrolled in more than one institution.
It is important to note that the NPSAS:20 survey was fielded in March 2020, just as the pandemic began, which NCES aptly describes as a “period of flux and uncertainty” in higher education. In that same month, COVID-19 cases began to spread, and a national emergency was declared in the United States, alongside extraordinary disruptions for students and their families. These circumstances may affect the comparability of NPSAS:20 data to prior NPSAS surveys and highlight the importance of collecting data over time to shed light on how national or global events, and policy changes, shape student basic needs security.
Later this fall, The Hope Center will release its own student basic needs survey results from surveys of students conducted in spring 2023. Our last student basic needs survey was fielded in the fall of 2020. The Hope Center’s survey-collected in partnership with institutions-asks students about a broader array of basic needs than NPSAS:20 covers, including housing, transportation, child care, public benefits, mental health, technology, and other areas critical for student success. Our survey and new data dashboard allow colleges and universities to obtain nuanced data at the institution level, helping them understand their students’ needs, access to supports, resource preferences, and more. The Hope Center is proud to have contributed to developing the NPSAS:20 survey questionnaire and thanks NCES for the inclusion of these important new measures.
Food Insecurity
Based on the data from NPSAS:20, 22.6% of undergraduate students report low or very low food security in the last 30 days, and another 11.9% report marginal food insecurity. Using NCES’ enrollment data, approximately 3.9 million undergraduates experience food insecurity (“food insecurity” is defined here as students who have low or very low food security). Department of Agriculture estimates was 10.5% in 2020.
Additionally, 12.2% of graduate students report low or very low food security, and another 8.6% report marginal food security. This translates to more than 400,000 graduate students experiencing food insecurity. Before the release of this NPSAS:20 data, there was relatively little information available about the basic needs of graduate students. Taken together, the NPSAS:20 data confirm that more than 4 million students in higher education are experiencing food insecurity, and 2.3 million more students have marginal food security.
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Sector: Among undergraduates, food insecurity is higher at community colleges (23.4%) than public and private non-profit 4-year institutions (20.9% and 18.8%, respectively). Food insecurity rates are highest at for-profit colleges (32.9%) among all sectors. Little data was previously available about the experiences of for-profit college or private non-profit students, making these data notable. Students attending for-profit colleges face higher costs than those in other sectors.
As with undergraduates, food insecurity within the graduate student population was highest at for-profit colleges (16.0%). However, there are still notable levels of student food insecurity among graduate students at public colleges (11.4%) and private non-profits (11.9%).
HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs: Compared to the national average, students enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and most other types of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) experience higher levels of food insecurity. Nearly 2 in 5 undergraduate students at HBCUs (38.8%) and more than 1 in 3 students at TCUs (35.5%) report food insecurity.
Race and ethnicity: Among undergraduate students, the NPSAS:20 data demonstrate alarming inequities between racial and ethnic groups in food insecurity. Black or African American students report the highest levels of food insecurity, with more than a third (34.6%) indicating food insecurity. Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students and American Indian or Alaska Native students followed closely, with reported rates of 32.6% and 29.9%, respectively. In contrast, the reported rate of food insecurity for White students (18.0%) and Asian students (17.6%) is nearly half of that of their Black or African American peers. There are also significant disparities among graduate students-almost 1 in 5 Black graduate students (22.2%) are experiencing food insecurity, compared to 8.5% of White graduate students.
Gender: There are differences in the rate of food insecurity by gender. Among undergraduates, women report higher levels of food insecurity (24.3%) than men (19.7%). The report also finds troubling levels of food insecurity among students identifying as genderqueer, gender nonconforming, or another non-binary gender (35%).
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Intersection of race and gender: At the intersection of race and gender, there are even larger inequities demanding a response from higher education policymakers and leaders. Pacific Islander/Hawaiian women face the highest rates of food insecurity (37.7%) among all racial and ethnic groups, followed closely by Black women (35.7%) and Black men (32.2%). White men had the lowest levels of food insecurity, at 15.2%. These findings highlight that addressing basic needs insecurity is an equity imperative.
Parenting status: Among undergraduates, rates of food insecurity are notably higher (28.7%) among parenting students (those who have dependent children) than students who do not have children (21.2%). The proportion of students who are single parents and facing food insecurity is even higher, with an alarming 37.3% reporting low or very low food security.
Pell Grant recipients: Among undergraduates who are Pell Grant recipients, 31.1% reported low or very low food security. However, the food insecurity rate of students who are not Pell Grant recipients is still an alarming 16.8%.
Disability: Nearly 36% of undergraduate students with a disability experience food insecurity compared to 19.1% of undergraduates without a disability. Among graduate students there are similar gaps-26.4% of graduate students with a disability are experiencing food insecurity, a rate that is more than double the 10.5% of graduate students without a disability.
Homelessness Statistics
The NPSAS:20 data show that 8.0% of undergraduate students, and 4.6% of graduate students, report experiencing homelessness in the previous 30 days. This translates to approximately 1.4 million undergraduates, and 166,000 graduate students, experiencing homelessness nationwide.
Notably, undergraduate students attending for-profit colleges display the highest rate of homelessness of all sectors, with a rate of 10.7%. The data also reveal concerning rates (12.9%) of homelessness among undergraduate students who identify as genderqueer, gender nonconforming, or with another non-binary gender identity. Alarmingly, 15% of American and Indian or Alaskan Native students and 12% of Black or African American students experienced homelessness. Comparatively, 6.5% of White students and 6.8% of Asian students reported experiencing homelessness. The data highlight the urgency of addressing these disparities to support the success of all students, regardless of their gender, racial, or other backgrounds.
Factors Contributing to Student Homelessness
Historically, lower-income students have struggled most with homelessness. However, in recent years the homeless population has expanded. The crisis is also affecting more kinds of institutions. In the past, those attending community college have reported the highest rates of homelessness.
Several factors contribute to this crisis:
- Rising Costs of Education: Over the past two decades, the cost of tuition, fees, room and board (TFRB) has increased significantly at public four-year institutions, private non-profits, and public two-year schools. Many students rely heavily on grants and loans to pay for their college education. However, federal student aid assistance has failed to keep pace with growing costs, putting major strains on students’ budgets.
- Cost of Living: Cost of living is also contributing to the housing crunch.
- Limited Housing Options: Most undergraduates in the United States live off-campus, relying on local housing markets for a place to live. Approximately 18% of undergraduates lived in on-campus housing as of 2020, a trend that has largely held steady for decades. Students often lack the necessary credentials to secure market-rate rental housing, such as rental histories, cosigners, or the savings to pay a security deposit. All-student households are generally not eligible to live in affordable units financed by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), the largest federal program for producing affordable rental homes.
- Lack of Awareness: A 2016 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that homeless youth experience challenges that make it harder for them to pursue higher education, such as weak academic foundations, limited family support, and lack of awareness of available financial resources.
- Data Quality: Underlying the problem of student homelessness is the issue of data quality. While the federal government and local Continuums of Care (CoC) collect data on homelessness, policymakers at all levels lack useful data on postsecondary student homelessness, as the transitional nature of student living makes it challenging to document their experiences.
Impact on Students and Institutions
When students face food insecurity, housing insecurity, and homelessness, it poses enormous barriers to success in college. This leads to lower academic performance and lower graduation rates. Housing insecurity and homelessness also show a strong, statistically significant negative relationship with college completion rates, persistence, and credit attainment. Many students who fail to complete their degree programs often find themselves burdened with substantial student debt without the increased earnings associated with degree attainment.
The most harmful effects of student homelessness are personal. But housing insecurity impacts institutions as well. Dropping out is a lose-lose scenario.
Resources and Support Systems
There are many resources available to college students experiencing homelessness, but these resources can vary substantially from one community or institution to another. Overall, students experiencing homelessness are encouraged to tell the staff at their campus about their situation. Staff from multiple areas of the institution may be able to help, including the student services office, residential life, financial aid, faculty advisors, and others. Help can come in many forms, including from local nonprofits, government programs, and campus-specific resources.
Nationwide, institutions have adopted different tactics to temper student homelessness. Some have sought creative solutions, such as protected parking lots for students living in their cars. Others have formed partnerships with community nonprofits that provide financial and housing assistance.
Here is a partial list of resources that students may be able to access:
- Campus Resources: Many colleges and universities are responding with various types of support. Some are responding by increasing the number of housing units available to students. Others have looked to their local community, establishing directories of available off-campus housing listings and partnerships with local housing authorities and other community-based housing providers to minimize the number of students without housing. Another popular strategy is to offer emergency funding to help with housing costs. Institutions have included questions about homelessness in their applications and have used other strategies, such as partnering with the financial aid office, to identify college students experiencing homelessness.
- Federal Aid: Federal K12 education law (the McKinney-Vento Act) contains several provisions designed to increase college readiness and access for homeless students, including requirements for counselors to prepare and advise homeless students for college, and requirements for school district liaisons to inform unaccompanied homeless youth of their status as independent students for federal student aid and help them obtain documentation required to qualify for such aid. In 2020, the FAFSA Simplification Act (Public Law No: 116-260) was signed into law. New FAFSA data from the 2023-2024 FAFSA cycle highlight the early impacts of improved federal policy (the FAFSA Simplification Act) with a 28% increase in FAFSA completion for unaccompanied homeless youth.
- Emergency Aid: Allow emergency aid from the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) to be used to help students stay in school during critical periods. The FSEOG is a federal grant, administered by the Department of Education, used to provide extra financial assistance to students with demonstrated exceptional financial need. Evidence suggests emergency micro-grants are efficient temporary measures in cases where students experience housing instability and can contribute to the increased rate of college graduation.
- Housing Choice Vouchers: Use the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration to target Housing Choice Vouchers for community college students. Public housing authorities (PHAs) like the Tacoma PHA in Washington have used the flexibility permitted under MTW to prioritize federal HCV funding for community college students experiencing housing insecurity. Other MTW PHAs in jurisdictions with large low-income student communities could consider implementing similar pilot programs. Support reforms to allow students to live in Housing Credit-financed units under certain conditions.
- State-Level Initiatives: In 2019, the DHE developed partnerships with other state agencies, campuses, and community-based organizations to create innovative solutions to student housing insecurity. In December 2020, Commissioner Santiago charged members of a Basic Needs Security Advisory Committee to make policy recommendations on how to address growing economic insecurity among students. Massachusetts is among the first states to address food and housing insecurity among college students as a matter of intentional state-level public policy.
Addressing the Root Causes
It is crucial for policymakers to understand the multifaceted nature of homelessness to stand a chance of implementing effective policy.
- Increase Affordable Housing: Similar to the rest of the country, students are impacted by the sheer lack of affordable homes. Though college communities differ greatly, many deal with pressures limiting the construction of additional affordable units. High land costs, limited land availability, and increases in the cost of construction are challenges for schools seeking to provide housing for their students. Collaborate with universities and community colleges to achieve housing and zoning reforms. Most higher education institutions have a vested interest in ensuring the affordability of their nearby housing markets, since most of their students will require off-campus housing.
- Improve Data Collection: Add questions about postsecondary enrollment status to the American Housing Survey.
- Financial Support and Literacy: Community service providers, receiving additional grant funding from the Massachusetts Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth, work with pilot participants in each region to provide counseling, financial literacy, and support for the search for permanent affordable housing after graduation.
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