When Meal Plan Requirements Undermine Student Food Security

At many colleges and universities, campus meal plans are positioned as a solution to student hunger. However, for low-income students, required meal plans can actually present a significant barrier to accessing public assistance—specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Under federal SNAP eligibility rules, college students face strict eligibility criteria, including the prohibition of receiving the majority of their meals from a meal plan. If a college requires students to purchase a plan that provides 11 or more meals per week, those students are no longer eligible for SNAP—even if the meal plan does not fully meet their nutritional needs or accommodate their schedules and dietary requirements.

Meal Plans Are Not a Substitute for Food Security

A campus meal plan that offers 11 meals per week does not guarantee consistent access to food. In practice, many students find that meal plans—especially when mandatory—fail to meet their individual needs:

• Limited access due to hours: Dining halls often operate on fixed schedules that may not align with students’ class times, jobs, or caregiving responsibilities. Missing meals due to scheduling conflicts is a common issue.

• Dietary restrictions and medical needs: Students with allergies, religious dietary restrictions, or medical conditions frequently report that dining hall offerings are inadequate or unsafe for them to consume.

• Insufficient meal coverage: Even with 11 or more meals per week, students must still find ways to afford and prepare the remaining meals—something SNAP is specifically designed to help with.

Despite these gaps, the mere existence of a required meal plan can result in automatic SNAP ineligibility, cutting students off from up to $291 per month in grocery benefits that could support healthier, more flexible food access.

Institutional Policies Have Real Consequences

Well-intentioned policies around on-campus dining may inadvertently create administrative barriers for students in need. At the Student Basic Needs Coalition, we work closely with student leaders and administrators across the country who are navigating this complex system. Time and again, we hear from students who are struggling with food insecurity yet are unable to access SNAP simply because their college mandates a certain level of meal plan participation.

What Colleges Can Do

Colleges and universities have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to align their policies with the goal of improving student well-being. Steps institutions can take include:

• Reviewing meal plan policies to ensure that students are not automatically excluded from SNAP eligibility due to unnecessary requirements.

• Offering flexible meal plan options that allow students to select plans with fewer than 11 meals per week, especially for those with financial need or unique dietary needs.

• Collaborating with basic needs staff and student advocates to better understand how institutional policies intersect with public benefits eligibility.

Access to food is foundational to academic success, student retention, and overall well-being. Institutions should not unintentionally undermine access to critical resources like SNAP through rigid or outdated meal plan policies. By reevaluating these requirements and centering students' lived experiences, colleges can better support food security on campus.

To learn more about how meal plan policies impact SNAP access—or to get involved in changing these systems—visit studentbasicneeds.com.