Changes to SNAP Eligibility

Many of our students struggle with food insecurity. To help offset that struggle, we are excited to share that benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have been expanded to include more students. We also want to highlight other resources, including the USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which provides children and teens with access to free healthy meals during the summer months, and the Bruin Pantry, which is available to SLCC students.

Salt Lake Community College encourages students and employees experiencing food insecurity to take advantage of recent changes in eligibility requirements for SNAP. Work and some other eligibility criteria are temporarily removed, allowing access to the program for students enrolled at least half-time (6 credits or more) at SLCC, who either:

1. Are eligible to participate in state or federally financed work study during the regular school year, as determined by SLCC, or
2. Have an expected family contribution (EFC) of 0 in the current academic year, as determined on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Normally, only students who participate in state or federally funded work study are eligible for SNAP, but this new temporary exemption expands SNAP eligibility to all students who are eligible to participate in work study during the regular school year, regardless of whether or not they actually participate.

Also, all students receiving the maximum Pell Grant have an EFC of 0 and, therefore, qualify for SNAP benefits. In the 2020-21 award year, the maximum Pell Grants are $3,172 per semester for students enrolled full-time, $2,379 per semester for students enrolled three-quarter-time, and $1,586 per semester for students enrolled half-time. Verification of the Pell Grant amount may be found on students’ financial aid award letter and may be used as verification that a student has an EFC of 0.

If you’re still not sure if you may qualify for SNAP, you can check out Utahns Against Hunger’s Website and their “SNAP Benefit Calculator Tool”. This calculator is intended to provide an ESTIMATE on what your benefits would be. Your actual benefits may end up being slightly more or less. For Spanish language speakers, SNAP Navigation assistance is available from Comunidades Unidas, a community organization based in West Valley.

To apply for benefits, visit the SNAP webpage on the Utah Department of Workforce Services website or contact the local SNAP office at 1-866-526-3663. Services and applications for SNAP benefits are available in both English and Spanish.

As mentioned above, the SFSP is a different service that provides free meals and snacks to all children and teens, ages 18 years and younger, who come to an approved open site or to an eligible enrolled site during summer months when schools are typically closed. More information about the program and how to find a site that provides meals is available on the SFSP website. You may also text “Summer Meals” to 97779 or call 1-866-348-6479 to find a site nearby.

As always, our Bruin Pantry is also available to SLCC students and employees who may be food insecure. More information on hours, locations and distribution can be found on the Bruin Pantry website.

These are challenging times, but we at SLCC are here to support you. We want our students to succeed not just academically but in all aspects of life. When basic needs aren’t being met, it is that much more challenging to thrive in other areas of life, but we hope that by utilizing these resources, you can mitigate some of the difficulties you may face in your daily lives and ultimately make greater progress to meet your goals.