California’s public higher education system is home to eight out of ten college students in the state. Last fall, the University of California (UC) reported 294,000 enrollees, while the California State University (CSU) reported an enrollment closer to 460,000 students. These universities serve a large portion of California’s college students. Both the UC and CSU continue to educate California’s next generation of leaders, scholars, public servants, and more. As these universities continue to educate California students, it is critical to understand how these institutions build pathways for student success.

In order to build pathways to success, we must understand the extent of basic needs insecurity that students are facing. According to a National Library of Medicine study on the burden of basic needs on student success, students with food, financial, and housing insecurity were more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and a lower GPA than students not experiencing these insecurities. In 2023, nearly a third of all Californians are poor or near poverty. In the CSU, research on the supports and barriers that students encounter in attempting to meet their basic needs found that out of 13,315 students, 54.7% reported experiencing food and housing insecurity. Upon further examination, the study found that Black or African American students disproportionately faced food insecurity and homelessness (Crutchfield et. al, 2019). In addition, a 2017 UC study on basic needs found that 44% of the undergraduate student body in the spring of 2016 faced food insecurity. The UC study also found that students who identified as Black or African American (62%), Hispanic or Latino/a/e of any race (57%), and Indigenous (49%) students were disproportionately impacted by food insecurity compared to white students.

As funding has begun to be disbursed throughout both the UC and CSU systems, it is critical to understand the ways in which consistent efforts can shape student access and use of basic needs centers. This brief will examine results from a 2023 survey conducted by Young Invincibles which surveyed CSU and UC students on their awareness of basic needs efforts in their respective campus, access and barriers to receiving basic needs services, and the rate at which students utilized basic needs services. The findings from this brief will conclude with recommendations for the CSU and UC system as it continues to expand basic needs services. Additionally, this brief builds on Young Invincibles’ research on basic needs centers at the California Community Colleges.