State of Student Aid in Texas – 2022

Section 9: Student Financial Wellness

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Recent Studies of Food Security Amongst College Students Find Similar, High Levels of Food Insecurity

A growing body of research has explored the degree to which postsecondary students are struggling to meet their basic needs. While more research is needed to explore the extent to which basic needs insecurity affects student success, it is reasonable to assume that students who struggle with hunger, nutrition, and/or finding safe shelter will have a more difficult path to earning a degree. The measurement tool designed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines low food security as “reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet” and very low food security as “reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.” While no nationally representative research is available for food insecurity among college students, a number of studies have found similar, troubling levels.

In the Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Survey from Trellis Company, researchers found that 45 percent of students at four-year colleges and 41 percent of students at community colleges experienced low or very low food security. The survey was open to any college nationwide and recruited 104 colleges in 25 states. The study included 71 community colleges and 33 four-year institutions. Greater food insecurity amongst the four-year institution cohort in the Trellis study, compared to other studies, may be explained by the types of institutions participating; these schools were more likely to serve under-resourced students than average four-year institutions.

Recent Studies of Food Security Among College Students Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture Scale

Recent Studies of Food Security Among College Students Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture Scale, Four-Year

Recent Studies of Food Security Among College Students Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture Scale, Two-Year

Note: The Trellis survey used the condensed six-question food security scale while the other surveys used the 10-question version.
Sources: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2017. Definitions of food security. (https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security/); Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables); Baker-Smith, C. Coca, V. Goldrick-Rab, S. Looker, E. Richardson, B. & Williams, T. (2021). #RealCollege 2021: Basic Needs Insecurity During the Ongoing Pandemic. The HOPE Center for College, Community, and Justice. (https://hope4college.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2021_RealCollege_Survey_Report.pdf); U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Food Security in the U.S. (https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics/).

Longitudinal Study of College Students Reveals Fluid Pattern of Food Security

While quantitative surveys differentiate magnitudes of food security and report prevalence at a specific point in time – key metrics for understanding and managing aspects related to student success – they give us little insight into these students’ day-to-day lives. To address this gap, Trellis Company conducted a qualitative study that interviewed 72 students once a month for nine months to better understand the dynamics behind student finances and academic performance. The first report from this effort, Studying on Empty: A Qualitative Study of Low Food Security among College Students, examines the lived experiences of 36 students who indicated they experienced low (LFS) or very low food security (VLFS) at least once during the nine-month study. This longitudinal perspective revealed a more fluid, fluctuating pattern of collegiate food security than is commonly understood, where sudden changes in financial stability (e.g., shifts in employment, financial aid, social networks, medical issues, personal budgeting, etc.) degraded or improved a student’s food security.

Over the course of the study, 26 participants experienced a decline in food security from one interview to the next.* Catalysts for degraded food security often included loss of employment, housing disruptions, and loss of financial aid.

In the case above, a combination of ambitious academic and career goals, costly medical school applications, and recurring veterinary expenses resulted in the student’s level of food security dropping twice. The student was food secure for the first three months of the study and had a restrictive, but attainable, budget. This changed in month four, where food security dropped from high/marginal to low due to a combination of: (1) recurring vet expenses; (2) pricey medical school applications; and (3) leaving her part-time, on-campus job to focus on academics. Fortunately, the student was able to secure free food through volunteering efforts and at her parents’ home. This temporarily increased her food security for one month, but without financial aid or other regular sources of income, her financial and food situation degraded further to very low. By month six, she completely drained her savings after paying over $2,000 in medical school applications; and although she had received $30 from a parent for food, she only had $50 in her bank account at the time of the last interview.

Longitudinal Study of College Students Reveals Fluid Pattern of Food Security

* Researchers are unable to rule out the possibility that declining food security may be explained, in part, by the subjects becoming more comfortable discussing this sensitive topic with interviewers.
Sources: Cornett, A., & Webster, J. (2020). Longitudinal Fluidity in Collegiate Food Security: Disruptions, Restoration, and Its Drivers. Trellis Company. Retrieved from: https://www.trelliscompany.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Research-Brief_FSS_Longitudinal-Fluidity.pdf; Fernandez, C., Webster, J., & Cornett, A. (2019). Studying on Empty: A Qualitative Study of Low Food Security among College Students. Trellis Company. Retrieved from: https://www.trelliscompany.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Studying-on-Empty.pdf.

Less Than Half of Students Were Aware That Their College Has a Food Pantry

Food insecurity is common among college students. The Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Survey from Trellis Company found that 45 percent of students at four-year colleges and 41 percent of students at community colleges experienced low or very low food security. When students’ basic needs are not being met, it makes it much more difficult to focus on academic success. Campuses nationwide have created food pantries on campus or established partnerships with food banks to try to address this issue.

Most of the institutions that participated in Trellis’ 2021 survey had a food pantry or food closet on campus. However, only a little over a third of respondents at community colleges with a food pantry and 43 percent of respondents at a four-year institution with a food pantry were aware that their school had this resource. More than half of community college respondents and almost half of four-year respondents did not know if a food pantry was available on campus.

Twelve percent of community college respondents and ten percent of four-year respondents reported visiting a food pantry, on or off campus, during 2021. These percentages are much lower than the percentage of students who reported experiencing food insecurity. Making food pantries widely available and reducing the stigma of using them could help increase the number of needy students obtaining this resource.

Q90: Does your school have a food pantry or food closet on campus?*

Q90: Does your school have a food pantry or food closet on campus?*

Q91: Have you visited a food pantry, on or off campus, since January 1, 2021?

Q91: Have you visited a food pantry, on or off campus, since January 1, 2021?

* Analysis in this table excludes institutions that did not have a food pantry or food closet at the time the survey was implemented.
Sources: Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables).

Almost Half of Community College Students are Housing Insecure

Recent studies by Trellis have found high levels of housing insecurity and homelessness among college students. Being homeless or “without a place to live, often residing in a shelter, an automobile, an abandoned building, or outside” can make an already challenging college experience even more difficult. Housing insecurity, including inability to pay full housing costs and moving in with others due to financial issues, is less severe, but can also make the college experience difficult. As the cost of college rises, basic needs security may become a barrier to success for more students. Some colleges are addressing housing issues with emergency grants, temporary housing, and partnerships with local organizations to provide rental assistance to students.

Trellis’ Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Survey found 48 percent of community college students and 40 percent of four-year college students experienced housing insecurity in the previous 12 months. The Trellis study found that 16 percent of community college students and 13 percent of four-year students experienced homelessness in that same time period. Similar levels were found in a 2020 survey from the HOPE Center for Community, College, and Justice. The Trellis survey was open to any college nationwide that wanted to participate, and of the 104 colleges (in 25 states) in the study, 71 were community colleges and 33 were four-year institutions.

Recent Studies of Housing Security and/or Homelessness Among College Students within Prior Twelve Months

Recent Studies of Housing Security and/or Homelessness Among College Students within Prior Twelve Months, Four-Year

Recent Studies of Housing Security and/or Homelessness Among College Students within Prior Twelve Months, Two-Year

Sources: Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables); #RealCollege 2021: Basic Needs Insecurity During the Ongoing Pandemic. The HOPE Center for College, Community, and Justice. (https://hope4college.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2021_RealCollege_Survey_Report.pdf; U.S. News and World Report (February 27, 2018). A New Focus on College Campuses: Ending Housing Insecurity. https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2018-02-27/campus-focus-on-solving-housing-insecurity-helping-homeless-students.

More Than Half of Students Have Concerns About Affording College

There is growing recognition that the interplay of student collegiate finances and academic performance influences key student outcomes like retention and graduation. It is common practice for a student to develop an academic plan for college, but often there is no accompanying financial plan to help the student plan for the high direct and indirect costs of college. With these costs, those students with financial challenges may find themselves unsure of whether they can or should re-enroll in their next semester.

In Trellis’ Fall 2021 Student Financial Wellness Survey, many students surveyed signaled concerns about being able to afford college. More than three in five respondents (61 percent) at two-year institutions and 70 percent of respondents at four-year institutions either agreed or strongly agreed that they worry about having enough money to pay for school. Twenty-three percent of respondents at two-year institutions and 25 percent of respondents at four-year institutions either disagreed or strongly disagreed that they knew how they would pay for college next semester.

Q49: I worry about having enough money to pay for school.*

Q49: I worry about having enough money to pay for school.*

Q50: I know how I will pay for college next semester.*

Q50: I know how I will pay for college next semester.*

Note: Trellis’ Student Financial Wellness Survey is open to any college nationwide that wants to participate. In the fall 2021 implementation, 104 colleges in 25 states participated – 71 community colleges and 33 four-year institutions. There were 44,254 respondents attending public two-year institutions and 19,497 respondents attending four-year institutions. The results are not nationally representative.
* Responses indicating ‘Neutral’ are not shown
Sources: Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables).

The Majority of College Students Would Have Trouble Getting $500 to Meet an Unexpected Need

For students on tight budgets, persisting in school often depends on financial plans that go smoothly, as even modest disruptions due to accidents, illness, or unanticipated expenses can impede success. Cash-strapped students face these contingencies with fewer options than their more affluent peers, often engaging in extreme frugality and untenable work schedules that threaten their health and diminish their learning experiences. For students who are financially vulnerable, a relatively small expense can force difficult decisions around staying enrolled in college.

In the Fall 2021 Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey, more than half of respondents from two-year and four-year institutions indicated they would have trouble getting $500 in cash or credit in an emergency. The most common resource students from both sectors would turn to if they needed $500 for an emergency is their savings. More than a quarter of four-year respondents and 17 percent of community college respondents said they would turn to their parents or other family. Some respondents also reported that they would use a credit card, delay paying a bill, sell possessions, reduce spending, take a loan, or turn to their friends or school. However, 12 percent of community college respondents and eight percent of four-year respondents said they would not be able to come up with $500 from any resource.

Q41: Would you have trouble getting $500 in cash or credit in order to meet an unexpected need within the next month?*

Q41: Would you have trouble getting $500 in cash or credit in order to meet an unexpected need within the next month?*

Q42: Imagine that you had to pay a $500 cost unexpectedly in the next month. In this situation, which of the following resources would you turn to first?

Q42: Imagine that you had to pay a $500 cost unexpectedly in the next month. In this situation, which of the following resources would you turn to first?

Note: Trellis’ Student Financial Wellness Survey is open to any college nationwide that wants to participate. In the fall 2021 implementation, 104 colleges in 25 states participated – 71 community colleges and 33 four-year institutions. There were 44,254 respondents attending public two-year institutions and 19,497 respondents attending four-year institutions. The results are not nationally representative.
Sources: Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables).

Half of Students Express Concern About Affording Monthly Expenses; Most are Running Out of Money at Least Once Annually

Some of the anxiety around paying for school may be driven by students’ concern for their day-to-day expenses. In the Fall 2021 Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey, about half of respondents – 50 percent at two-year institutions and 49 percent at four-year institutions – worried to some degree about paying for their current monthly expenses.

It takes careful planning for students to meet their expenses and manage a limited, often uncertain, cash flow while attending school. Nearly three-quarters of respondents at two-year institutions – and almost two-thirds of respondents at four-year institutions – reported running out of money at least once in the past 12 months. Alarmingly, 19 percent of respondents at two-year institutions and 13 percent of respondents at four-year institutions reported running out of money eight or more times in the past 12 months.

Q48: I worry about being able to pay my current monthly expenses.*

Q48: I worry about being able to pay my current monthly expenses.*

Q43: In the past 12 months, how many times did you run out of money?

Q43: In the past 12 months, how many times did you run out of money?

Note: Trellis’ Student Financial Wellness Survey is open to any college nationwide that wants to participate. In the fall 2021 implementation, 104 colleges in 25 states participated – 71 community colleges and 33 four-year institutions. There were 44,254 respondents attending public two-year institutions and 19,497 respondents attending four-year institutions. The results are not nationally representative.
* Responses indicating ‘Neutral’ are not shown
Sources: Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables).

More Than Two-Thirds of Students Are Less Than Confident They Can Pay Off the Debt Acquired

Estimating college expenses can be difficult, especially for students who are the first in their families to attend college. In the Fall 2021 Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey, more than half of respondents who borrowed at two-year institutions and 65 percent of respondents at four-year institutions agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that they had more student loan debt than they expected at this point. Many students borrow with no confidence in their ability to repay. More than two-thirds of respondents who borrowed at two-year institutions and 74 percent of respondents at four-year institutions were not at all confident or only somewhat confident they would be able to pay off the debt acquired while they were a student.

Q75: I have more student loan debt than I expected to have at this point. (of those who indicated having a student loan they took out for themselves)*

Q75: I have more student loan debt than I expected to have at this point. (of those who indicated having a student loan they took out for themselves)*

Q76: How confident are you that you will be able to pay off the debt acquired while you were a student? (of those who indicated having a student loan they took out for themselves)

Q76: How confident are you that you will be able to pay off the debt acquired while you were a student? (of those who indicated having a student loan they took out for themselves)

Note: Trellis’ Student Financial Wellness Survey is open to any college nationwide that wants to participate. In the fall 2021 implementation, 104 colleges in 25 states participated – 71 community colleges and 33 four-year institutions. There were 44,254 respondents attending public two-year institutions and 19,497 respondents attending four-year institutions. The results are not nationally representative.
* Of those who said they had borrowed student loans to pay for college; responses indicating ‘Neutral’ are not shown
Sources: Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables).

Half of Community College Students Do Not Pay Off Their Credit Card Balance Each Month

Many students borrow student loans to pay for school, but students sometimes turn to potentially riskier forms of credit. Credit cards, pay day loans, and auto title loans can carry high interest rates, making them expensive sources of credit.

In the Fall 2021 Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey, more than half of respondents who borrowed at two-year institutions and 49 percent of respondents at four-year institutions said they had used a credit card at least once during the year. In both sectors, six percent of respondents reported borrowing a pay day loan and four percent reported borrowing an auto title loan. Of those who had used a credit card, a majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they always pay their credit card bill on time – 77 percent of two-year respondents and 84 percent of four-year respondents. However, only 34 percent of two-year respondents and 50 percent of four-year respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they fully pay off their credit card bill each month, accruing interest at potentially high rates.

Q61: Since January 1, 2021, have you used the following borrowing sources? Responses who answered ‘Yes’

Q61: Since January 1, 2021, have you used the following borrowing sources? Responses who answered 'Yes'

Q66: I always pay my credit card bill on time.*

Q66: I always pay my credit card bill on time.*

Q67: I fully pay off my credit card bill each month.*

Q67: I fully pay off my credit card bill each month.*

Note: Trellis’ Student Financial Wellness Survey is open to any college nationwide that wants to participate. In the fall 2021 implementation, 104 colleges in 25 states participated – 71 community colleges and 33 four-year institutions. There were 44,254 respondents attending public two-year institutions and 19,497 respondents attending four-year institutions. The results are not nationally representative.
* Of those who said they had used a credit card since the beginning of the year; responses indicating ‘Neutral’ are not shown.
Sources: Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables).

Over a Third of Students Report Selling Belongings to Make Ends Meet

Many students reported selling their belongings at a pawn shop, online marketplace, over social media, or using another avenue to make ends meet. Forty percent of community college respondents and 35 percent of 4-year respondents reported doing this at least once during 2021.

Students often have a network of family or friends that they can turn to in times of need, but sometimes students must go beyond their social network for help. During the pandemic, access to many forms of public assistance, especially for college students, have been expanded. This assistance included federal stimulus funds, which consisted of three rounds of direct relief payments disbursed to individuals and families starting in March 2020

In the Fall 2021 Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey, more than half of community college respondents and nearly half of four-year respondents reported receiving federal stimulus funds. A quarter of community college respondents said they received medical assistance, and more than one in five received food assistance. Over one in ten four-year respondents reported receiving medical assistance and food assistance. Smaller percentages of respondents said they received unemployment, utility, housing, and childcare assistance.

Q54-60: Public assistance use, by assistance type

Q54-60: Public assistance use, by assistance type

Q70: Since January 1, 2021, approximately how many times did you sell your belongings to make ends meet?

Q70: Since January 1, 2021, approximately how many times did you sell your belongings to make ends meet?

Note: Trellis’ Student Financial Wellness Survey is open to any college nationwide that wants to participate. In the fall 2021 implementation, 104 colleges in 25 states participated – 71 community colleges and 33 four-year institutions. There were 44,254 respondents attending public two-year institutions and 19,497 respondents attending four-year institutions. The results are not nationally representative.
Sources: Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables); Federal Stimulus Funds: U.S. Department of the Treasury. Economic Impact Payments (https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-american-families-and-workers/economic-impact-payments).

Students Who Experienced Mental Health Struggles Were More Likely to Also Experience Financial Struggles

Mental health challenges were already common on college campuses before the pandemic. The stress of college, often compounded with issues like financial instability, basic needs insecurities, and other responsibilities like caregiving and work, resulted in more than one-third of college students meeting the criteria for one or more conditions in both the 2018 and 2019 Healthy Minds Study implementations. The pandemic added stresses related to personal safety, health, isolation, and worry about loved ones. The 2020 implementation of the Healthy Minds Study found that 47 percent of students indicated depression or anxiety.

The Fall 2021 Trellis Student Financial Wellness Study (SFWS) found that a significantly higher percentage of students who screened positive for depression or anxiety, or both, had reported struggling financially while enrolled, experiencing basic needs insecurity, and receiving emergency aid from their institution compared to students who had not screened positive for either depression or anxiety. Almost three-quarters of students who were experiencing depression or anxiety at the time of the survey had also experienced food or housing insecurity in the prior year, compared to just under half of students who had not been experiencing depression or anxiety.

Financial Challenges by Mental Health Status

Financial Challenges by Mental Health Status

Note: Trellis’ Student Financial Wellness Survey is open to any college nationwide that wants to participate. In the fall 2021 implementation, 104 colleges in 25 states participated – 71 community colleges and 33 four-year institutions. There were 44,254 respondents attending public two-year institutions and 19,497 respondents attending four-year institutions. The results are not nationally representative.
* The SFWS used a modified, short-form scale first used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that measures the frequency of depressed mood and the inability to feel pleasure over the past seven days.
** The SFWS used a modified, short-form scale used by the CDC to screen for generalized anxiety disorder. This scale measures the frequency of anxious and worried feelings over the past seven days.
Sources: Fletcher, C., Cornet, A., & Webster, J. Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2021 (unpublished tables); Healthy Minds Study: The Healthy Minds Network, National Data Reports (https://healthymindsnetwork.org/research/data-for-researchers/).

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