Federal SNAP Cuts and Pell Funding Shortfall Risk Worsening Disparities in Food Insecurity, College Persistence, and Attainment
Published May 26, 2026
Federal supports like the Pell Grant and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are critical lifelines that help millions of students from low-income backgrounds afford college and meet basic needs each year. However, both are in danger. Changes made to SNAP through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) shift program funding to states, which could lead some to scale back access. It also ends eligibility for undocumented individuals and expands work requirements that may cause eligible students to lose benefits. Additionally, if Congress does not fill a projected $16.9 billion Pell Grant shortfall, students could face reduced award amounts or reduced eligibility, threatening their ability to afford college.
As is, both of these programs fall short: the Pell Grant now covers the lowest share of college costs in its history, and 67 percent of students eligible for SNAP do not receive benefits, often because of barriers like complex eligibility rules and limited awareness of the program. These shortcomings lead to persistent food insecurity and lower completion rates among students who face the greatest financial barriers to college.
Our analysis of data from the 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS)—now at risk due to federal contract cancellations—finds that Pell Grant recipients are nearly twice as likely to experience food insecurity and are less likely to persist or complete a degree, compared to students without a Pell Grant, with disparities across race and ethnicity. These findings highlight that while federal aid is essential, it remains insufficient, and further reductions risk deepening affordability barriers and undermining student success.
Food Insecurity is Highest and Persistence and Attainment are Lowest Among Pell Recipients
Food insecurity—limited access to affordable and sufficient food—is widespread among college students, with rates substantially higher compared to the general U.S. population. Food insecurity negatively impacts students’ mental and physical health, as well as their academic progress.
Our latest analysis reveals that substantial disparities emerge in food insecurity by Pell Grant status. Forty-two percent of Pell Grant recipients experience marginal, high, or very high food insecurity—nearly twice the rate of students without a Pell Grant. Across both groups, American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Black students experience significantly higher rates of food insecurity, reaching 47–49 percent among Pell recipients and 32–33 percent among students without a Pell Grant. 
When students lack reliable financial resources to pay for college, they are often forced to sacrifice basic needs like food to stay enrolled. Food insecurity can pull students away from their studies, make it harder to stay focused on coursework, and increase the likelihood that they will consider leaving college before completing their degree.
Seventy-six percent of students without a Pell Grant persist or attain a credential three years after enrollment, compared to just 65 percent of Pell recipients. This gap is evident across most racial and ethnic groups, though Hispanic or Latino students show similar persistence or attainment rates regardless of Pell receipt.
AI/AN, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (NHPI) Pell Grant recipients have significantly lower persistence or attainment rates relative to White and Asian American students, ranging from 47 to 59 percent. Among students without a Pell Grant, Hispanic or Latino students join AI/AN, Black, and NHPI students in having the lowest persistence and attainment rates, between 64 and 68 percent.
In contrast, Asian American students consistently have the highest persistence or attainment rates, with about three quarters of Asian American Pell recipients persisting or attaining a credential—a rate that exceeds nearly all racial and ethnic groups regardless of Pell Grant receipt. White Pell recipients have persistence or attainment rates similar to those of AI/AN, Black, NHPI, and Hispanic or Latino students without a Pell Grant.
Disparities in food insecurity, persistence, and attainment by race and ethnicity reflect longstanding racial inequities in financial resources. Our previous analysis shows that AI/AN, Black, NHPI, and Hispanic or Latino students are less likely to receive parental financial support for college, and when they do, they often receive smaller amounts. This leaves many students with fewer resources to cover costs that federal aid does not fully meet, including food.
Strengthen SNAP and the Pell Grant to Address Food Insecurity and Support Student Persistence
Recent SNAP cuts and the Federal Pell shortfall threaten to exacerbate existing challenges in food insecurity, persistence, and attainment—particularly for Pell Grant recipients and AI/AN, Black, and NHPI students.
At the federal level, lawmakers should fully restore SNAP funding and act immediately to close the Pell Grant funding gap while transitioning to fully mandatory funding to ensure long-term stability.
Expanding investments in basic needs and student success programs—including Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students and the Postsecondary Student Success Grant (PSSG), and Federal TRIO Programs — and ensuring these funds are awarded consistent with congressional intent can strengthen support for food and persistence among students from low-income backgrounds.
The cancellation of federal contracts for key data sources like BPS puts policymakers and researchers at risk of losing the national evidence base needed to track trends in students’ basic needs and persistence over time, and to enact evidence-based policy to support students.
Students should not have to choose between eating and paying for college. Federal policymakers have the tools to address food insecurity. Sustained investment in these programs can strengthen persistence and completion for more students.
