Institution of Higher Education

An institution of higher education (IHE) refers to:

  1. A business, trade, technical, or vocational school at the post-high school level that normally requires a high school diploma or equivalency certificate for enrollment; or
  2. A two-year community college, four-year state or university, or graduate school, regardless of whether a high school diploma or equivalency certificate is required.

Note: If a college/university normally requires a high school diploma or equivalency certificate but does not require either for a particular program or course, enrollment in such a program or course does not constitute enrollment in an institution of higher education (e.g., ESL classes, GED classes).

 

An individual is considered to be enrolled in an institution of higher education if the individual is enrolled at least half-time and enrolled in a regular curriculum at a two-year community college, four-year state or university, or graduate school. An individual is also considered to be enrolled in an institution of higher education if the individual is enrolled at least half-time in a business, technical, trade, or vocational school that normally requires a high school diploma or equivalency certificate for enrollment in the curriculum.  

Institutions of higher education include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • California Community Colleges (CCCs),
  • Califonia State Universities )CSUs),
  • Universities of California (UCs)
  • Nonprofit and for-profit Private colleges,
  • Business schools/programs,
  • Technical schools/programs
  • Trade schools/programs, or 
  • Vocational schools/programs.


To be considered a student at an institution of higher education, a person enrolled in a business, trade, technical, or vocational school need only be enrolled at least half-time, whereas a person enrolled in a college, university, or graduate school must be both enrolled at least half-time and enrolled in a regular curriculum. 

Regular Curriculum

A regular curriculum at an institution of higher education is defined as the standard requirements that must be completed for graduation, certification, or qualification in a particular field of study.

Institution of Post-Secondary Education [63-502.2(e)(3)]

An institution of post-secondary education is defined as any public or private educational institution which is authorized or recognized by the state to provide:

  • An educational program beyond secondary (high school) education in the state or
  • A training program to prepare students for gainful employment.

An institution of post-secondary education that does NOT normally require a high school diploma or equivalency certificate for enrollment is NOT considered an institution of higher education. Some institutions which may meet this criteria include:

  • Beauty or working colleges
  • Bartending schools
  • Welding schools

 

If questionable, the EW must call the institution to find out if it is considered an institution of higher education (i.e., Does it normally require a high school diploma or equivalency certificate for enrollment?).

Graduate Students

There is no differentiation between graduate students and other students in CalFresh. Both are defined using the same criteria for students. The EW must apply the student eligibility rule and exemptions to all students meeting the definition above. 

Veteran Students 

Students who are military veterans are subject to the student eligibility rule. There are no specific exclusions for students who are veterans. 

Adult Education Programs and Community Service Classes

The CalFresh student eligibility rule does not apply to students enrolled in non-regular curriculums, including adult education programs, remedial education, continuing or community education, professional development, English for Speakers of Other Languages, and workforce development/training programs. Enrollment in K-12 adult schools and community college non-credit classes does not require a high school diploma or equivalency certificate. Therefore, if a course does not provide credits towards college graduation, it’s considered a non-credit course. Many adult education courses are not for credit and will not count towards half-time enrollment or more. These programs are not considered to be institutions of higher education as defined by CalFresh and are not subject to the student exemption rule. If the student meets all other eligibility requirements, they are eligible for CalFresh.

CIU Refugees

Refugees referred by the Central Intake Unit (CIU) to the community college system for training programs must meet the Student Eligibility Criteria, except when they are enrolled exclusively in courses/programs that do not require a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.

 

Related Topics

Students