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Students
Definition
For CalFresh purposes, a student is any individual who is 18 through 49, physically and mentally fit for employment, and enrolled at least half-time in an institution of higher education as defined by the institution. See the Institution of Higher Education section below for more details.
Follow the chart below to determine whether an individual is considered a “student” for CalFresh.
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A STUDENT IS... |
A NON-STUDENT* IS... |
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*Treat educational scholarships, loans, grants, work-study income, or other benefits a “non-student” receives as student income. Refer to Income.
** Verify if questionable. Refer to Questionable Information [63-300.5(g)].
Determining Enrollment in An Institution of Higher Education
The flowchart below is provided by USDA, FNS, to assist in determining whether an individual is enrolled in an IHE for CalFresh eligibility purposes.
Applicability
An individual enrolled at least half-time in an institution of higher education is ineligible to participate in CalFresh unless the individual qualifies for one of the exemptions outlined in this chapter. This rule is commonly called the "student eligibility rule" throughout this chapter.
An individual is considered to be enrolled in an institution of higher education if the individual is enrolled in a business, technical, trade, or vocational school that normally requires a high school diploma or equivalency certificate for enrollment in the curriculum or if the individual is enrolled in a regular curriculum at a college or university that offers degree programs regardless of whether a high school diploma is required.
Student Status
Student status is determined for CalFresh purposes at the time of application and recertification. Student status starts on the first day of an academic term and remains in effect during regular school breaks unless the student is suspended or expelled, drops out, or does not plan to register for the next regular school term (excluding summer school).
Reporting Changes in Student Status
Changes in a student's enrollment status, such as not enrolling for a summer term or intersession, are not mandatory mid-period reporting requirements. Student status is only required to be assessed at application and recertification. If the household voluntarily reports a change in student status mid-period, the EW should only take action if the change would increase the household's CalFresh allotment.
Half-Time Enrollment
When determining CalFresh student eligibility, half-time enrollment is defined by the Education Code (EDC) Section 69519.3: "A student shall be considered attending at least half-time in any semester or term if they enroll in at least half of the number of credits required each semester or term to graduate within four years of enrollment as a first-time freshman, or within two years of enrollment as a transfer student." It's important to note that the number of credits required to meet the definition of half-time enrollment may vary by institution.
Because the number of credits required to graduate varies by institution, the EW must collaborate with the household or local educational institution to determine the specific number of credits needed each semester or term. This applies to first-time freshmen aiming to graduate within four years of enrollment, transfer students aiming to graduate within two years of enrollment, and those pursuing graduate degrees.
When a student has not chosen a major, the EW must base the half-time calculation on the minimum number of credits required to obtain a General Education Bachelor of Arts degree at that institution of higher education. If the student has chosen a major, the EW must base the half-time calculation on the number of credits required for that student’s chosen major at that institution of higher education.
Note: Individuals enrolled less than half-time are not considered students for CalFresh purposes and are not subject to the student eligibility rule.
Summer Enrollment
A student's enrollment status begins on the first day of the regular school term. Individuals who apply for CalFresh in the summer before the start of their first official day of the regular school term are not considered to have student status. Therefore, they are not subject to the student eligibility rule at the time of application. Their student status will not be reassessed until recertification. At recertification, they will be considered continuing students subject to the student eligibility rule.
Continuing students are subject to the student eligibility rules during regular school breaks because they were already classified as students.
College Meal Plans
Students who live on campus and receive more than 50% of their meals through a meal plan (whether purchased or provided at no cost to the student) are considered residents of an institution and are not eligible for CalFresh.
Students participating in a meal plan that provides them with 50% or less of their daily meals are not considered residents of an institution and may be eligible for CalFresh.
Students must not be denied simply because they participate in a meal plan at a college campus. Instead, the EW must determine the scope of a student's meal plan on a case-by-case basis to determine eligibility. Because meal plans vary by institution, EWs should fully explore a student's circumstances to determine how to treat such plans. EWs may need to ask students for clarification if the meal plan is unclear on how many meals they receive from a meal plan.
Both mandatory and optional meal plans must be considered when determining eligibility. The calculation for determining whether a student receives more than 50% of their meals through the meal plan is based on 21 total weekly meals (3 meals per day over 7 days per week).
- Students living on campus whose meal plan provides 11 meals or more per week are not eligible for CalFresh.
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Students living on campus who receive 10 meals or less are not considered residents of an institution and are, therefore, potentially eligible for CalFresh.
Per FNS guidance, the following example can be used to access different meal plan levels:
Level 1: Designed for light snacks (0 meals per week)
Level 2 Plan: Designed for about 2 meals a day on weekdays (10 meals per week)
Level 3 Plan: Designed for 2 meals every day (14 meals per week)
Level 4 Plan: Designed for 3 meals a day (21 meals per week)
Unlimited Plan: Designed for 3 meals a day plus snacks (21 meals per week.)
In this example, the EW could assume that students receive less than 50 percent of their meals from the meal plan if they participate in Level 1 or Level 2. The EW could assume that students participating in Level 3, 4, 5, or Unlimited Plans receive more than 50 percent of their meals from the institution.
For guidance on counting weekly meals, please refer to the College Meal Plans with Point Systems available on the EW Reference Materials page.
Students who live off-campus and commute are not considered residents of an institution. These students are potentially eligible for CalFresh, even if they have a meal plan that provides more than half of their daily meals. CalFresh benefits cannot be used to pay for a college meal plan.
Restaurant Meals Program (RMP)
Students aged 60 and older, with disabilities or experiencing homelessness, are eligible to participate in the RMP and can buy hot meals from authorized campus food facilities.
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