Feb 9, 2021 2 min read

Some Pennsylvania college students will qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits following a temporary change in eligibility announced by the Wolf administration Monday.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, students who have no family contribution to their college costs and are eligible for a state or federal work study program can now receive SNAP benefits, which are known in shorthand as food stamps.

Also, families with one or more college students under the age of 22 living at home will receive additional SNAP benefits. Previously, those students would not have been eligible.

Under rules set by the federal government, students aged 18 to 49 are not eligible for SNAP benefits unless they meet certain criteria. Those include working 20 or more hours per week, being enrolled in a federal work study program, being the parent of a child younger than 6 and having a disability.

The new rules will remain in place until 30 days after the public health emergency ends.

Teresa Miller, secretary of the Department of Human Services, said Monday that many students have lost jobs or they now are working reduced hours because of the pandemic. This means “students and families with more limited resources may be struggling even more to meet their most essential needs.”

A report by the Government Accountability Office released two years ago found that at least 1 in 3 college students do not always have enough to eat, and that 71% of college students are not “typical.” Many are financially independent, work at least part time, have dependent children and enroll in college at a later age.

Miller also reported Monday that enrollment in the SNAP program has increased by 4.9% over the last year. Though enrollment has gone down slightly since September, 1.8 million Pennsylvanians were receiving SNAP benefits in December.