Key Takeaways
While low-income students typically qualify for the maximum need-based financial aid, they may face constraints to cover the remaining financial burden. This burden can be eased by two of California’s largest safety net programs, CalFresh and Medi-Cal, which help low-income residents pay for groceries and access health care coverage. We took an integrated approach to college costs, assessing the impact of financial aid, food assistance, and public health insurance on students for each of the state’s public higher education systems: the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), and California Community Colleges (CCC). Our findings include:
- Even after receiving scholarships and grants through the state’s generous financial aid program, a low-income UC student might need to cover up to $4,000, a CSU student up to $8,900, and a CCC student up to $9,000 in annual net costs. For a CCC student who lives with parents, however, financial aid covers college costs and leaves the student with $2,600 to use for other needs. →
- CalFresh can reduce the financial burden of a UC student living on campus by about half; it can erase the financial burden of a student living off campus and leave the student with cash to cover other needs. It can reduce the financial burden of a CSU student living on campus by about 52 percent, while the reduction for an off-campus CSU student is about 24 percent. CalFresh lowers the financial burden of a CCC student living off campus by 24 percent and bolsters the disposable cash of a student living with parents. →
- UC students who enroll in Medi-Cal and receive a fee waiver can have their financial burden reduced by 90 percent if they live on campus, or by more than 100 percent if they live off campus. A UC student who lives on campus and participates in both Medi-Cal and CalFresh could see their financial burden replaced by $1,782 in disposable cash to spend on other needs; a UC student living off campus would have their financial burden replaced by $3,982 in disposable cash. →
- Many low-income students who are likely to be eligible for CalFresh and Medi-Cal do not participate. Policymakers and higher education stakeholders can help increase take-up by improving coordination between financial aid offices and campus basic needs centers, connecting basic needs centers with Medi-Cal navigators, and leveraging data to identify low-income students who are likely to be eligible and connect them with benefits. →