The UndocuBasic Needs Project (UBNP) recently published a research brief focused on the unique challenges that undocumented college students, and those in mixed-status families, encounter with food and housing insecurity. The UBNP seeks to better understand immigrant college students’ basic needs, and the experiences of school personnel working to support them. The brief is based on 106 in-depth interviews with students of diverse legal statuses. This includes undocumented students and those with access to some type of legal protection (e.g., Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Temporary Protected Status, U.S. citizenship) and whose parent(s) are undocumented.
The brief demonstrates how students’ experiences with food and housing insecurity are deeply shaped by immigration status. More specifically, approximately 44% of students experienced food insecurity. With many reporting “frequently missing meals, facing unaffordable food costs both on- and off-campus, and, at times, struggling to access dining halls” (p. 4).
With respect to housing, 28% of students reported experiencing housing insecurity during college. This included trouble securing housing, which was made particularly challenging without “required documentation (e.g., government identification and social security numbers) to undergo background checks” (p. 4)
“The process of securing housing is particularly difficult for students who are not eligible for housing assistance programs and cannot afford high housing costs. Michelle, an undocumented college student in her fourth year, described ‘finding housing in the beginning’ as ‘a struggle because most of the time they asked for either a social or someone with good credit, or someone that made three to five times the rent they were asking for…’ Ultimately, Michelle was able to secure on- campus housing, however, she experienced stress related to housing leading up to the start of the academic year. As an undocumented and low-income student, she was particularly concerned about the initial documentation associated with securing housing off campus, such as a social security number and higher up-front costs. Michelle ultimately noted that her undocumented status (and her roommate’s) was an obstacle they had to navigate.” (Monreal & Valdivia, 2026, page 13)
The brief concludes with a set of recommendations for institutions of higher education to better support students’ ability to meet their food and housing needs. To learn more about these findings, visit the project website and research brief.
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