College Hunger Bill Mandates Work-Study Students Get Automatic SNAP Eligibility Notices

The “Opportunity To Address College Hunger Act” is a straightforward piece of legislation designed to cut through bureaucratic red tape that often prevents low-income college students from accessing food assistance. Essentially, it mandates that colleges and universities receiving federal funds under Part A of the Higher Education Act must proactively inform certain students about their potential eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps.

The Paperwork Fix: Proving You’re Eligible

This bill targets a major hurdle for students trying to get SNAP. Generally, college students are ineligible for the program unless they meet one of several exceptions. One of the most common exceptions is participating in a federal work-study program. The problem is that proving this status to the local SNAP office can be a confusing, time-consuming mess for the student.

Under this Act (SEC. 2), schools must send a notification to every student receiving work-study assistance. This notice must not only explain that they might be eligible for SNAP, but it must also come with an official document confirming the student’s work-study status. Think of this as the golden ticket: it’s the proof the student needs to show the SNAP office that they meet the work-study exception under Section 6(e)(4) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, streamlining their application.

Who Gets the Memo?

The notification requirement is actually broader than just work-study students. The bill specifies that any student who is eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant must also receive this notice, regardless of whether they are currently participating in work-study. This is a smart move, recognizing that Pell Grant eligibility is already a strong indicator of financial need. The Secretaries of Education and Agriculture are tasked with creating a standardized notification form that includes specific SNAP eligibility rules and, crucially, should be tailored to the student’s home state whenever possible.

The Real-World Impact on the Ground

If this becomes law, it means fewer students will be struggling to afford groceries while trying to pass their organic chemistry final. For a student like Maria, who works two part-time jobs just to cover rent and tuition, receiving an automatic notice with the required documentation attached means she can apply for SNAP without having to navigate a complicated administrative process or chase down paperwork from her university’s financial aid office. It takes the guesswork out of accessing a vital benefit.

For colleges and universities, this does mean a new administrative requirement. Schools will need to implement systems to track and send these notices and documentation to thousands of students, which will require coordination between financial aid, student services, and potentially IT departments. While this is a compliance cost for the institutions, the payoff is a direct reduction in food insecurity on campus, which ultimately supports student retention and success. Similarly, state SNAP agencies should prepare for an increase in applications, as this bill is designed to pull eligible, but currently unenrolled, students into the program.