Low-income families can purchase basic, nutrient-dense meals by using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which offers food assistance.
An Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, which functions as a debit card for food purchases, is credited with funds each month to SNAP recipients.
Your state’s requirements and income restrictions, along with other elements like your bank account balance, will determine whether you are eligible for SNAP benefits.
Are SNAP benefits available to students?
According to the official SNAP website, students who attend a college, university, technical school, or vocational school full-time are only eligible for SNAP if they fall under one of the following exemptions:
- You are either younger than 18 or older than 50.
- Your mental and physical health are inadequate.
- You are employed for at least 20 hours a week. You have to work at least 20 hours a week and make at least the federal minimum wage times 20 hours if you work for yourself.
- You are taking part in a study and employment program that is financed by the state or the federal government.
- You’re taking part in a program of on-the-job training.
- You look after a child who is younger than six.
- You are responsible for a kid aged 6 to 11 and lack the childcare required to attend school, work 20 hours a week, or take part in the study and work program.
- You are a single parent raising a child under the age of twelve while attending college full-time.
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The Temporary support for Needy Families (TANF) program provides you with support. You can be self-placed, assigned, or put at a college or other higher education establishment by:
- A program called SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T)
- Other state-or locally-run E&T programs for low-income households that have a SNAP-like component
- The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) (PL 113-128), Title I;
- A program for trade adjustment assistance under the Trade Act of 1974’s Section 236.
To find out how these exemptions might relate to the situation in your family, get in touch with your local SNAP office if you’re unsure if you qualify for any of the exemptions.
Students who qualify for an exemption must also fulfill all other conditions for SNAP eligibility.
