Back to Basics: Solving Today’s Students’ Food, Housing, and Basic Needs Insecurities
The Basic Facts on Unmet Essential Needs A recent study found that three in five college students experienced insecurity in meeting their basic needs, such as housing and food. However, many federal safety net policies designed to support Americans in need were not created with today’s postsecondary students in mind. Research now shows today’s…
Read More101: Single Moms in Higher Education
101: Single Moms in Higher Education We met Kimberly Salazar, a single mother of a 5-year-old, last year during Higher Learning Advocates’ National Student Parent Month Fireside Chat. A first-generation student at University of California, Berkeley, and 4.0 GPA sociology major, Salazar was accepted into her school’s honors program for seniors. She also represents one…
Read MoreUpdated 101: Today’s Students
Today’s Students 101 Higher Learning Advocates’ Today’s Students 101 contextualizes who today’s students are and why their needs matter to help inform essential higher education policy conversations. Understanding who today’s students are is fundamental to creating a higher learning system that leads to their success. HLA’s Updated Today’s Students 101 features: The newest data…
Read MoreHigher Education Policy Toolkit
Education creates opportunities and is integral to maintaining America’s globally competitive economy. An educated workforce begins in local communities and expands to the state, the nation, and the world. Higher Learning Advocates higher education policy toolkit for the 118th Congress focuses on connecting opportunity, supporting students, and delivering value with solutions to help strengthen our nation’s…
Read More101: Means-Tested Federal and State Programs
Means-tested federal and state programs help millions of low-income Americans access housing, food, health care, child care, and more. But complex programs combined with myriad eligibility requirements can make it difficult for students to access these benefits. This 101 provides an outline of the programs, how each program is connected to college students’ needs, and…
Read MoreCollege Students: You could get money from the Earned Income Tax Credit
This year, more people than ever before are eligible for the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) –including college students age 18+ without dependents. This tax credit can give you back money, up to $1,502, to spend however you want – towards groceries, rent, a car, or more. All you need to do is file…
Read MoreFinancial Aid Officers: Help Students Get Money from the Earned Income Tax Credit
This year, more people than ever before are eligible for the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – including> college students age 18+ without dependents. This tax credit gives students back money, up to $1,502, to spend however they want – towards groceries, rent, a car, or more. All they need to do is file…
Read MoreEarned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Student & Administrator Factsheet
What Works for Today’s Students: Connecting Students to Means-Tested Benefits
Students facing basic needs insecurities are significantly less likely to leave college without completing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Today’s students show a great deal of resilience in the face of adversity—but succeeding in an academic environment is extremely difficult without access to basic needs, like food and shelter. The federal government has various programs…
Read More101: Students & Means Tested Programs
Every year, more than one million students drop out—70 percent do so because of financial insecurity, which is disproportionately felt by low-income students. That’s where means-tested benefit programs and income supports can help. Means-tested federal and state programs help millions of low-income Americans access housing, food, health care, child care, and more. But the myriad…
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