Nearly half of college students in the U.S. say they did not have enough money for food last month, according to a study conducted by Temple University's The Hope Center.
The study looked at food and housing insecurity among college students, gathering data from 86,000 students and 123 colleges. Food insecurity means limited or uncertain access to nutritious food.
The study piggybacks on a recent federal Government Accountability Office report that examined 31 studies on food insecurity among students, with estimates in various studies ranging from 9% to more than 50%.
"As the costs of college continue to climb, it's clear that students are struggling to afford more than just tuition – many are unable to afford textbooks, housing, transportation, childcare, and even food," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said about the GAO report. "This report confirms that food insecurity is a widespread issue on our nation's campuses and that there's a lot of work to do to ensure students are getting enough to eat."
The Temple study found the overall rate of food insecurity among students identifying as African American or Black was 58%, approximately eight percentage points higher than the overall rate for Hispanic or Latino students, and 19 percentage points higher than the overall rate for students identifying as White or Caucasian.