EATS Act Expands SNAP Eligibility: College Students Can Get Food Aid Starting January 2026

The Enhance Access To SNAP Act of 2025, or the EATS Act, is a straightforward piece of legislation aimed squarely at helping college students and trainees afford groceries. What it does is simple: it opens up the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to students enrolled at least half-time in any recognized school, training program, or higher education institution (SEC. 2).

Before this bill, being a college student was often a barrier to getting SNAP benefits unless you met a bunch of specific, often hard-to-meet requirements, like working a certain number of hours or having dependents. The EATS Act essentially rips out that old restriction, making it much easier for students struggling with rising tuition and cost of living to qualify for food assistance. These changes are set to kick in on January 2, 2026 (SEC. 3).

The End of the 'Starving Student' Clause

For years, policy has treated the "starving student" stereotype as an acceptable rite of passage, forcing many to choose between paying for books and buying food. This bill recognizes that a student working toward a degree or technical certification—whether they’re at a community college, trade school, or university—is often low-income and needs support. By removing the old student eligibility restriction (SEC. 2), the bill ensures that if you meet the general income requirements for SNAP, your student status won't disqualify you.

Think of the single mom taking night classes to become a registered nurse, or the young apprentice in a welding program; previously, they might have been caught in a bureaucratic trap. Now, their enrollment status is a path to eligibility, not a roadblock. This directly addresses food insecurity, which has been a major hidden crisis on campuses nationwide.

What the Fine Print Deletes

The bill also cleans up the existing law by deleting an entire subsection, Section 6(e), from the Food and Nutrition Act. While the bill doesn't specify what was in subsection (e), context suggests it contained rules or requirements that the EATS Act is trying to simplify or eliminate. When a bill expands access by removing old rules, you have to trust that the deleted section wasn't vital for program integrity. Given the overall goal is expansion, this deletion likely streamlines the process, but it’s worth noting that the total removal of an old rule always leaves a slight question mark about what exactly was lost.

Real-World Impact on the Budget

The main beneficiaries here are students aged 25–45 who are juggling education, work, and often family responsibilities. Less stress about where the next meal comes from means better focus in class and higher graduation rates, which benefits the economy. The cost, however, falls to the federal and state governments, who will see increased expenditures and administrative costs as millions of newly eligible students enroll in the program. Current SNAP recipients won’t lose their benefits, but the overall pool of resources will need to expand to accommodate this significant increase in participation.