Why it matters: To improve CalFresh outreach and enrollment, California started setting aside annual funds in 2021 for public colleges and universities to establish and operate basic needs centers with food pantries, where students obtain free food staples. The California State University and University of California systems each receive $15 million and California Community Colleges receives $30 million annually. As of 2023, every public higher education campus in the state has a basic needs center and food pantry.
Read on... for five ways some colleges are offering creative alternatives to feed students.
Since 2022, California has been offering free lunches to all students in elementary through high school. But once they reach college, more than two-thirds of students who apply for financial aid experience food insecurity, according to a 2023 report by the California Student Aid Commission.
To improve CalFresh outreach and enrollment, California started setting aside annual funds in 2021 for public colleges and universities to establish and operate basic needs centers with food pantries, where students obtain free food staples. The California State University and University of California systems each receive $15 million and California Community Colleges receives $30 million annually. As of 2023, every public higher education campus in the state has a basic needs center and food pantry.
However, for many campuses, these solutions still aren’t enough. To fill the gaps, some have created their own innovative solutions. From free meals to food lockers, staff and students at five campuses around California offer creative alternatives.
Humboldt students level up their food pantry
At Cal Poly Humboldt, through the full-service food program “Oh SNAP!,” students stock the shelves, fill pantry orders and offer CalFresh application support. They also greet their peers as they enter, offering them tea or coffee.
To reduce food waste, students negotiated in 2016 with the campus dining services department to collect unused food to offer at the pantry at no cost to students. The department notifies the basic needs center when leftovers are available; students bring their own containers to package up what they need.
Oh SNAP! has hired a local organic farmer to provide produce and give classes on cooking and gardening. The program also offers pop-up thrift stores where students can fill a bag with clothes and housewares for $5; proceeds go back into the program.
Oh SNAP! “provides peace of mind,” said Anna Martinez, a student studying political science, law and policy at Cal Poly Humboldt. “I don't have to really worry too heavy on whether or not I can afford food, because if I can't, there's always Oh SNAP! I can go to.”
As the social justice, equity and inclusion officer for Cal Poly’s student government, Martinez successfully advocated for the student board to increase funding for cultural foods. She values the sense of community Oh SNAP! provides.
“They're very welcoming when it comes to different needs,” she said.
The program, vital for the 6,000 students at Cal Poly Humboldt, clocked 30,000 visits to Oh SNAP! last year, according to Mira Friedman, health education and clinic support services lead.
Compton College serves free meals to all
Sara Goldrick-Rab, a Philadelphia sociologist and advocate for college student basic needs, thinks a free meal every day is “exactly what is needed” on college campuses. She conducted a study giving students free, daily meals for three semesters at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston.
“It allowed students to eat in a regular way in the school cafeteria, just like they would in the National School Lunch Program. And lo-and-behold, it increased graduation rates,” Goldrick-Rab said.
Compton College President Keith Curry read about the Bunker Hill pilot program and decided to implement a similar program at Compton. Now, every Compton student — and employee — receives a daily meal. Students also get $20 each week to spend at the campus farmer’s market. Students enrolled in CalFresh receive $50 each week for the farmer’s market and can use their EBT card at campus dining services. The college uses a mix of grants and various campus funds to cover the costs of the meal program.
“We're doing more than any other community college in the state of California and also nationally,” Curry said. “How many schools can say that students receive one meal per day on their campus from their cafeteria?”
The Compton College campus in Compton.
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Some California colleges offer a limited number of free meals, such as UC Davis, where a food truck serves between 300 and 400 meals per day and students pay what they want. In fall 2025, West Valley-Mission District in Santa Clara County will begin offering free meals.
Student Corinthia Mims said the first time she entered Compton’s cafeteria, “it was joy, always buzzing,” she said. Her twin, Cynthia Mims, said the free meals bring everyone together like family.
“[Students] feel embraced and they feel important. It's a feast,” she said.
Feeding students keeps them in school. According to data the college gathered last year, students who received free meals and money for the farmers’ market were more likely to stay in their classes for the entire semester with a completion rate of 1% or 2% higher than the general population.
Curry visits the cafeteria to get feedback from the students. “They're proud to tell me what they like and what they got today. Because there's no negative stigma around it, because everyone is treated equally,” he said.
Goldrick-Rab highlights the program at Compton College as an example of what a college student universal meal plan could look like. “It's a very nice modern version. … It's not really a cafeteria in the classic sense. It is refrigerators full of prepared meals, the way that adults would go into a Whole Foods and get a grab-and-go,” she said.
In 2019, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, introduced the Food for Thought bill, which proposes universal meal pilot programs on college campuses. The bill failed and was reintroduced in 2022 and 2023 but never enacted.
Contra Costa College fills food lockers with free meals
At Contra Costa College, students who work full time have difficulty accessing the food pantry during open hours. In April, the college unveiled 20 refrigerated lockers in the campus cafeteria where students can pick up their pre-ordered, free groceries between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students order online and student staff fill the orders.
The campus basic needs center, called the Compass Center, also offers free meal vouchers to students three days a week, giving out 50 for breakfast, 75 for lunch and 15 for dinner.
Teddy Thollaug, a first-year student studying art and journalism at Contra Costa College, says they appreciate the hot meals and food lockers, especially on days when their disability makes it too hard to stand and cook. Because Thollaug’s classes are all online, they are not on campus regularly.
Teddy Thollaug at the Contra Costa College dining hall in San Pablo on May 8, 2025. Thollaug works as a student worker at the campus’ Basic Needs Services, which offers weekly free food to low-income students delivered through refrigerated food lockers in the dining hall.
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A typical order includes fresh fruit and vegetables, butter and cheese, and a “mystery package,” which contains grains, sauces and canned food. “Honestly, I feel like a kid on Christmas every time I open a mystery package,” Thollaug said.
In 2024, the center served 5,008 students and 14,785 families of students, according to Hope Dixon, the basic needs center coordinator.
Antelope Valley College students earn points for food
To encourage and support students to take full course loads, Antelope Valley College initiated Fresh Success, a CalFresh program that “pays” enrolled students in points for enrolled units.
Full-time students get more points, “because that's our goal. We want you to get your degree, and [if you’re a full-time student,] you're less likely to be able to run around and get all the other community resources,” said Jill Zimmerman, dean of the Antelope Valley College student health and wellness center.
Fresh Success is part of CalFresh’s Employment and Training program, and is overseen by the Foundation for California Community Colleges. Currently 20 colleges across 18 counties participate in the program, which partially reimburses schools with federal dollars for workforce development services such as job training and job search assistance for low-income students.
Fresh Success allocates points for each unit enrolled, up to 40 points per week. Students use their points at the on-campus pantry to purchase food, toiletries and laundry soap.
For Alliza Wade, having access to Fresh Success means being able to put more time toward school rather than working more hours. Wade, a STEM major at Antelope Valley College, is enrolled in CalFresh but it doesn’t cover all of her food expenses.
“[Fresh Success] has a very, very significant impact on how I'm able to live and eat, and how I'm going to be able to pursue my future, because [it helps with] saving and being able to eat healthy,” Wade said.
Since the college is reimbursed 45 cents for every dollar spent, the Fresh Success program benefits the college as well by providing funds to put towards employment and training support like job-specific clothing and gear, cooking classes and car tune-ups through the campus automotive program.
Cerro Coso feeds students who aren’t eligible for CalFresh
When Lorena Moreno started as the basic needs coordinator in early 2024 at Cerro Coso Community College in the southeastern Sierra region of the state, she noticed that students without permanent legal status were in dire need of assistance. Non-citizens are not eligible for CalFresh.
Moreno tackled the need by creating an on-campus food program called WileyFresh — modeled on Aggie Fresh at UC Davis, which serves students who meet CalFresh requirements but lack citizenship. Eligible students receive a monthly Albertson’s gift card valued at $291, comparable to the amount an eligible single student receives on a monthly CalFresh EBT card.
Like the Aggie Fresh program, students who qualify for WileyFresh are required to participate in workshops that support academic and personal growth. Moreno offers the workshops as a webinar to protect student identities.
The Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest.
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Last fall, Moreno increased outreach efforts. Her team of part-time student employees passed out flyers at events to raise awareness. They saw visits to the Wiley Food Pantry grow from about 350 per month in the spring semester to about 500 per week in the fall.
This summer, Moreno intends to expand the program to include more students who can’t enroll in CalFresh. “Because at the end of the day, that's what it's intended for — this population who is missing out.”
Research shows students can’t rely on each other’s charity
Many colleges now offer a way for students to donate unused card swipes from their campus meal plans to each other. However, research shows that these donations only reach a tiny fraction of students.
Before 2017, college dining services did not allow students to share their meal plans with other students. This didn’t sit well with students at Morehouse and Spelman colleges in Atlanta. They began a hunger strike to challenge meal plan policies that forbid sharing meal swipes. Their activism convinced their colleges to change the policies and led to a nationwide program, Swipe Out Hunger.
Meal-swipe programs, as they’re called at the approximately 850 colleges nationwide that offer them, allow students to donate unused meal swipes to fellow students who need them. In California, 17 colleges participate in Swipe Out Hunger.
But they are not effective, Goldrick-Rab said. She evaluated Swipe Out Hunger and found that the active programs see just 300 swipes a year.
“At the bottom line, I would rather give people money than food, but I still think the National School Lunch Program is important. I just want all of it. I want the guaranteed basic income. I want a higher minimum wage. Because all of it is scientifically working,” Goldrick-Rab said.
Amy Moore is a fellow with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.
For the record: This story has been edited to clarify that the 2023 Food and Housing Basic Needs Survey by the California Student Aid Commission uses data from a survey of students who applied for financial aid.
Federal changes may cause drastic drop in coverage
Aaron Schrank
has been on the ground, reporting on homelessness and other issues in L.A. for more than a decade.
Published May 4, 2026 4:58 PM
County officials estimate that recent Medi-Cal changes could put coverage at risk for hundreds of thousands of residents.
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Maya Sugarman
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LAist
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Topline:
The number of Californians without health insurance could double from 2 million today to 4 million by 2030, according to a report from the Legislative Analyst's Office. It’s the state budget office’s preliminary attempt to quantify how federal legislation known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” will reshape healthcare access statewide.
Losing coverage: The One Big Beautiful Bill is driving nearly 90% of the projected coverage loss, according to the LAO report. It's mostly Medi-Cal enrollees who are expected to be dropped when new work requirements take effect in 2027. The remaining 10% are largely people leaving the state's health insurance marketplace, Covered California, after enhanced federal premium subsidies expired last year.
L.A. County impact: County officials estimate that recent Medi-Cal changes could put coverage at risk for hundreds of thousands of residents and cost the county’s health departments about $800 million a year. A U.C. Berkeley Labor Center analysis projected more than 1 million Medi-Cal enrollees could lose coverage by 2028.
Why it matters: More uninsured people means hospitals and clinics provide more services without getting paid. The LAO projects that uncompensated care costs at hospitals could grow by several billion dollars statewide by 2030. Clinics face steeper losses because they run on smaller budgets and depend more heavily on Medi-Cal revenue. The LAO also projects premiums on the individual health insurance market will rise as healthier people drop coverage.
What's being proposed: The LAO itself doesn’t recommend new spending and instead urges lawmakers to track what happens to hospitals, clinics and county programs before taking action. But both L.A. County and state officials are pushing tax efforts to combat federal cuts. LA County voters will decide June 2 onMeasure ER, a half-cent sales tax that would generate about $1 billion a year for hospitals and clinics. ANovember statewide ballot initiative would impose a one-time 5% tax on Californians worth over $1 billion and direct 90% of proceeds to Medi-Cal.
The number of Californians without health insurance could double from 2 million today to 4 million by 2030, according to a report from the state Legislative Analyst's Office. It’s the state budget office’s preliminary attempt to quantify how federal legislation known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” will reshape healthcare access statewide.
The One Big Beautiful Bill is driving nearly 90% of the projected coverage loss, according to the LAO report. It's mostly Medi-Cal enrollees who are expected to be dropped when new work requirements take effect in 2027. The remaining 10% are largely people leaving the state's health insurance marketplace, Covered California, after enhanced federal premium subsidies expired last year.
What's the impact to coverage?
L.A. County officials estimate that recent Medi-Cal changes could put coverage at risk for hundreds of thousands of residents and cost the health departments about $800 million a year. A UC Berkeley Labor Center analysis projected more than 1 million Medi-Cal enrollees could lose coverage by 2028.
The LAO report also warns that county indigent health programs for uninsured residents will soon face a surge in demand they’re not prepared to meet. Those county programs had enrolled about 850,000 people statewide before the federal government expanded Medicaid coverage in 2014. Total enrollment is currently 10,000 statewide, but the trend is going to reverse, according to the report.
What's the impact to health-care providers?
More uninsured people means hospitals and clinics provide more services without getting paid. The LAO projects that uncompensated care costs at hospitals could grow by several billion dollars statewide by 2030. Clinics face steeper losses because they run on smaller budgets and depend more heavily on Medi-Cal revenue.
The LAO also projects premiums on the individual health insurance market will rise as healthier people drop coverage.
What are proposals to help?
The LAO itself doesn’t recommend new spending and instead urges lawmakers to track what happens to hospitals, clinics and county programs before taking action. But both L.A. County and state officials are pushing tax efforts to combat federal cuts.
L.A. County voters will decide June 2 on Measure ER, a half-cent sales tax that would generate about $1 billion a year for hospitals and clinics. ANovember statewide ballot initiative would impose a one-time 5% tax on Californians worth over $1 billion and direct 90% of proceeds to Medi-Cal.
California says insurer mishandled wildfire claims
Erin Stone
covers climate and environmental issues in Southern California.
Published May 4, 2026 4:40 PM
An insurance office burned by the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
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Kevin Tidmarsh
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LAist
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Topline:
California regulators say State Farm has illegally delayed, underpaid and denied claims from policyholders affected by the 2025 L.A. fires — something fire survivors have said for months.
The investigation: The state analyzed 220 randomly selected claims filed in response to last year’s fires and found hundreds of violations by State Farm in more than half them — what state attorneys dubbed a “troubling pattern” in their filing.
The insurer's response: State Farm denied the allegations and called them politically motivated.
Read on ... for more on the state's action against its largest home insurer.
California regulators say State Farm has illegally delayed, underpaid and denied claims from policyholders affected by the 2025 L.A. fires — something fire survivors have said for months.
The California Department of Insurance announced Monday that it has taken the first step in the process to bring the allegations to a public hearing before an administrative judge. That could result in the state’s largest home insurer paying up to about $4 million in penalties, and suspension of its license for up to a year, meaning it could not write new policies in California during that time.
“Our investigation found that State Farm delayed, underpaid, and buried policyholders in red tape at the worst moment of their lives,” state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a statement.
The state analyzed 220 randomly selected claims — out of more than 11,000 filed with State Farm in response to last year’s fires — and found hundreds of violations in more than half them. Attorneys for the state called it a “troubling pattern” in their filing.
State Farm denied the allegations and called the state’s move “politically motivated” in a lengthy statement posted to its website.
Every Fire Survivors Network, a coalition representing thousands of L.A. fire survivors, pressured the state for months to investigate State Farm’s handling of wildfire claims.
Joy Chen, who co-founded the group after her home was damaged in the Eaton Fire, said the state’s action is far from enough.
“It’s just very disappointing to see our regulator issue a report that shows his own failures over the last 16 months,” she told LAist.
Only a few dozen homes have been rebuilt so far in both Altadena and Pacific Palisades since the fires destroyed more than 16,000 buildings, mostly homes, in those communities and nearby areas.
A survey by the nonprofit Department of Angels last year found that nearly three-quarters of L.A. fire survivors reported delays, denials and low payouts of their claims across all insurers.
“What we need is for all State Farm contracts to be enforced so that Los Angeles families can have the money that we need to move forward with getting back home,” Chen said.
The state’s alleged violations carry a fine of up to $5,000, and up to $10,000 if the violations are found to be willful. The case will be heard by a state administrative law judge, who will provide a recommendation to Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on a possible penalty.
The Insurance Department said people with homeowners policies from any insurer can report problems with their claims at insurance.ca.gov or by calling (800) 927-4357.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published May 4, 2026 3:15 PM
The FIFA World Cup trophy is displayed during the official draw ceremony held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5, 2025.
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Getty Images North America
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Topline:
Details are out for FIFA’s World Cup Fan Zone parties in LA County in June and July. Watch tournament matches at ten locations from Venice Beach to Pomona, from free to $$$ with food, drink, and big screens.
Why it matters: The FIFA Fan Zones offer people an opportunity to get a taste of the tournament while not breaking the bank to pay for tickets.
The locations: The Original Farmers Market in L.A., June 18-21; The City of Downey, June 20; LA Union Station, June 25-28; Hansen Dam Lake, July 2-5; Magic Johnson Park, July 4-5; Whittier Narrows, July 9-11; Venice Beach, July 11; The Fairplex, July 14-15, July 18-19; West Harbor, July 14-15, July 18-19; Downtown Burbank, July 18-19
Some are free: The Fan Zones in the city of Downey, Union Station L.A., “Magic” Johnson Park, and Whittier Narrows are free of charge.
Yes, you could put a screen in your backyard and call up your friends to watch a particularly compelling World Cup game after the tournament begins June 12.
But FIFA is turning each game into a public celebration, sponsoring 10 outdoor Fan Zone watch parties with large viewing screens across L.A. County through the final on July 19.
Details were released on Monday, including locations, dates and prices.
The Fan Zones open in a staggered schedule from one day to four days each, starting with the Original Farmers Market on June 18 - 21, and then popping up across the region until the glorious end on July 19 in downtown Burbank.
Fan Zones across L.A. County:
The Original Farmers Market in L.A., June 18-21 The City of Downey, June 20 LA Union Station, June 25-28 Hansen Dam Lake, July 2-5 "Magic" Johnson Park, July 4-5 Whittier Narrows, July 9-11 Venice Beach, July 11 The Fairplex, July 14-15, July 18-19 West Harbor, July 14-15, July 18-19 Downtown Burbank, July 18-19
Ticket prices range from free (City of Downey, Union Station L.A., “Magic” Johnson Park, Whittier Narrows) to over $300 for a VIP experience with a viewing lounge and a concert at the downtown Burbank Fan Zone on the day of the World Cup final match on July 19.
Fan Zone kick off
At the first Fan Zone, at The Original Farmers Market from June 18 for four days, entry will cost you $5 per day or $17 for all four days. Kids age 3 and under are free. (FIFA says the zones are family friendly).
You’ll be able to see four matches there each of the four days, including Mexico vs. South Korea on June 18 at 6 p.m. and USA vs. Australia on June 19 at noon.
FIFA World Cup 2026 scarves are displayed during the ribbon cutting for the LAX/Metro Transit Center rail and bus public transportation station at LAX on June 6, 2025.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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Getty Images
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You won’t have to squint to find your favorite player or catch the goals. The Farmer’s Market will include a 30-foot viewing screen as well as a 15-foot secondary screen to watch the games. There will be beer gardens, and you can purchase food from the Market's dozens of establishments.
Other Fan Zones
The West Harbor L.A. Fan Zone will give people an opportunity to experience the newest major development along the San Pedro waterfront, a 42-acre waterfront district that’s been years in the making.
The Union Station L.A. Fan Zone on June 25 is free and includes match viewing, music, food, and immersive fan experiences, featuring live DJs.
The final Fan Zone opens July 18 and 19 in downtown Burbank for the World Cup’s last two matches. FIFA says it’ll include “an adjacent international street fair filled with global flavors and cultural experiences.” Tickets range from $25 to over $300
This of course, isn’t the only opportunity to watch World Cup matches with groups of people in SoCal. The city of L.A. will host its own watch parties.
Many college campuses either don’t track their populations of rural students.
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Larry Gordon
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Up against a massive court backlog that can drag their cases for years, asylum seekers face steep costs when pursuing their dreams of college in California.
Facing a double blow: Asylum-seeking students in California often face a double blow: they are charged higher tuition for nonresidents and excluded from most financial aid. For students and their families, this can mean thousands of dollars paid out of pocket and years of financial stress as their immigration cases remain unresolved. Before establishing residency, asylum-seeking students are charged non-resident rates, which are about three times what state residents pay for public universities and roughly eight to 13 times more for community colleges, depending on the district.
Policy changes stoke uncertainty: As of February 2026, a little over 2.3 million immigrants are awaiting asylum hearings nationwide, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks federal activity. The most recent data shows California alone had about 169,000 pending asylum cases in its immigration courts by the end of 2023 — the second-largest backlog of any state. The average wait for an asylum hearing in California was 1,412 days at that time. The Trump administration paused asylum cases in November, creating even further delays. The administration has now allowed cases to resume for applicants from all but 40 countries.
Up against a massive court backlog that can drag their cases for years, asylum seekers face steep costs when pursuing their dreams of college in California.
Asylum-seeking students in California often face a double blow: they are charged higher tuition for nonresidents and excluded from most financial aid. For students and their families, this can mean thousands of dollars paid out of pocket and years of financial stress as their immigration cases remain unresolved.
Before establishing residency, asylum-seeking students are charged non-resident rates, which are about three times what state residents pay for public universities and roughly eight to 13 times more for community colleges, depending on the district.
All asylum seekers are disqualified from federal financial aid. The few who qualify for California’s state aid may never know their options, or face hurdles in obtaining it due to a patchwork of financial aid processes.
The state’s higher education systems are not mandated to track asylum seekers, making state budget impacts nearly unquantifiable during legislative attempts to expand financial aid eligibility.
“I only see them struggling,” said Eric Cline, social services program director at OASIS Legal Services, which supports LGBTQ+ asylum seekers across the Bay Area and Central Valley. “I’m always surprised (when) a few clients tell me 'I just graduated from college.’ I think, ‘Wow, how did that happen?’”
Policy changes stoke uncertainty for asylum seekers
Asylum seeking is one of the least-protected immigration statuses in the U.S. Asylum seekers, who’ve fled their home countries fearing persecution and are asking the U.S. for protection, differ from refugees, whose status is granted before they enter the country. Asylum seekers apply upon arriving in the U.S.
Applicants can stay as their cases remain pending for years, though experts say the Trump administration is expediting deportations for numerous asylum seekers and ending cases before they can receive a full hearing.
As of February 2026, a little over 2.3 million immigrants are awaiting asylum hearings nationwide, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks federal activity. The most recent data shows California alone had about 169,000 pending asylum cases in its immigration courts by the end of 2023 — the second-largest backlog of any state. The average wait for an asylum hearing in California was 1,412 days at that time.
The Trump administration paused asylum cases in November, creating even further delays. The administration has now allowed cases to resume for applicants from all but 40 countries. In the San Francisco immigration court system, which is popular among asylum seekers due to higher acceptance rates, a combination of firings by the Trump administration, retirements and relocations whittled the 21 immigration judges to two, according to reporting in Mission Local. Left behind is a caseload of nearly 119,000 immigration cases, the highest of any immigration court in California.
President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” also established new fees for asylum seekers, placing additional pressure on an already low-income population. Applicants must now pay an initial $100 application fee plus $100 per year while their case is pending, $550 for a work permit, and $745 each year to renew the permit. In addition, a new rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security would effectively end the ability of asylum seekers to obtain work permits at all.
Royce Hall on the UCLA campus
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As they await a decision, asylum seekers are excluded from federal aid and some state financial aid programs, including Cal Grants under California law.
For one asylum seeker, Carol, being ineligible for financial aid meant she had to take time off from school to work to make ends meet. CalMatters is not using her full name because she fears speaking publicly may jeopardize her asylum case.
Carol did speak before the Assembly Higher Education Committee in 2023 urging lawmakers to pass AB 888, which would have expanded Cal Grant eligibility to certain asylum seekers. The bill ultimately did not pass.
She said she arrived in the United States at 17 and had spent more than six years waiting for her case to move through immigration courts, a period during which she said she was ineligible for financial aid.
“I’ve had to delay my educational journey several times, including going part-time and even taking a semester off from school to work,” Carol told lawmakers.
Without access to aid, she said she experienced homelessness, couch surfing and at one point slept on a mattress topper on a hardwood floor because she could not afford a bed. She worked multiple jobs at a time, skipped meals and attended class without the required course materials.
Her story, she said, was not new. Carol told the committee that four years earlier her brother had testified with a nearly identical experience on behalf of a previous bill that was ultimately vetoed, a cycle she argued could have been prevented.
“Had California taken action then, I wouldn’t have had to face the harrowing experiences that I shared with you today,” she said.
Despite the barriers, Carol graduated from Cal State Long Beach and worked as a caseworker with the International Rescue Committee, helping resettle refugees and asylum seekers. She told lawmakers she hopes to pursue a law degree and become an international human rights attorney.
The narrow path to college aid for asylum-seeking students
Many asylum seekers arrive eager to continue studies they began abroad, but quickly run into what Cline calls “a brick wall."
“All of our clients are low-income … they’re almost never eligible for generalized financial aid,” he said. “When you take away the financial aid aspect, it makes (college) pretty inaccessible.”
For California residents, annual undergraduate tuition is $15,588 at the University of California, $6,838 at the California State University and about $1,380 for 30 units at a community college. Students classified as non-residents — including some asylum seekers before establishing residency — can pay $54,858 at a University of California, about $20,968 at a Cal State before campus-based fees, and roughly $10,140 to $13,560 for 30 units at a community college, depending on the district. These figures do not include campus-based fees, housing or living expenses.
Even when students do manage to establish residency, the cost is still steep. For the many asylum seekers who arrive in the United States as adults, they may not have attended a California school previously, barring them from qualifying for state financial aid.
AB 540, the 2001 law that exempts undocumented students from paying non-resident tuition, only applies if the student attended a California high school or community college for three years.
Those who qualify through AB 540 can fill out the California Dream Act Application for state financial aid, such as Cal Grants, university system-specific grants, state loans, and the state’s middle class scholarship.
The application process can still be confusing for asylum seekers whose status is not fully accounted for in the design of the application. For example, asylum seekers often have Social Security numbers for work authorization, but affirming so while answering the financial aid pre-screening questions leads to undetermined eligibility because the questions don’t take into account the nuances of applying as an asylum seeker.
Stickers and flyers on a table in the Undocumented Community Center at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo, on Nov. 28, 2023. At this center, undocumented students can access financial and legal aid as well as guidance in navigating grant applications.
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Asylum seekers often require extra help from financial aid counselors, but even counselors may not know how to help navigate eligibility rules. Students often wind up seeking help from undocumented student resource centers on public campuses, which are designed to help students who lack legal residency and those from mixed-status families find aid and academic support.
Kaveena Singh, the director of immigration legal services at the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, which provides legal services to low-income immigrants, noted that she herself has written letters to financial aid offices to help explain the in-between nature of the few asylum-seeking students she has served.
As an asylum-seeking student in his mid-20s, L. ended up qualifying for state financial aid through AB 540. However, he misunderstood for six years exactly what aid he qualified for. L. wished to withhold his name and the names of the institutions he’s attended for fear of negative impacts on his pending asylum case.
Initially, community college didn’t cost him anything — but when he transferred to a large four-year university, the cost of college soared. He went to his university's financial aid office for help so often that all the staff there knew his name. It was a "big relief” when he was finally able to successfully fill out the California Dream Act Application, and obtain financial aid for his summer and fall quarters.
L.'s asylum case has been pending for nine years. He, his dad, mom and younger brother arrived in the United States in the winter of 2016, claiming asylum under fear of political retribution. His father organized political assemblies in China, and his mother was forced to have an abortion under the one-child policy.
“I just wish I could go home and visit family and friends and catch up for a good few weeks in the summer here and there to reconnect with my past,” L. said. “It's like there's two separate lives, like two entities being artificially cut.”
L. worked throughout high school and college, and worried about affording school.
Most days, the combination of family trauma and the limbo of waiting for his case means L. survives through “constant compartmentalization.”
In the meantime, he tries to carry on — he studies politics, and is interested in international relations and human rights.
"As rough as all that's happened, the silver lining is that one day hopefully I get a passport and a green card," L. said. "To help other people avoid such a hassle will be just as fulfilling for me."
Previous legislative efforts have failed
Legislative bills to extend state financial aid eligibility to asylum-seeking students have been introduced at least twice in recent years but have failed.
One attempt came in 2019, when Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat from El Segundo, introduced SB 296, a bill that would have extended Cal Grant eligibility to students with pending asylum applications. The measure passed the Legislature with some bipartisan support, but was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said that it would "impose costs on the General Fund that must be weighed in the annual budget process."
“That was frustrating, but I understood it,” Allen told CalMatters. “The real issue is that we don’t have good data. Our schools don’t track asylum seekers, so we can’t easily calculate the cost.”
UC data on asylum-seeking students is protected due to privacy policies, according to Stett Holbrook, a UC spokesperson. The Cal State system reports it has less than 500 students with "asylum status," which includes both those who have an asylum granted and asylum seekers, according to Cal State spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith. The numbers are self-reported during the admissions process.
In spring 2025, 13,507 students self-identified as “refugee/asylee” across the California Community Colleges — up from 11,537 the prior semester — per the CCC DataMart. The data does not include a category for just asylum seekers. Students can self-identify their immigration status while applying, but asylum seekers are not specifically tracked, according to the college system’s spokesperson Melissa Villarin.
Four years after SB 296 failed, Democrat Sabrina Cervantes — then representing Riverside in the Assembly and now as a state senator — revived the proposal through AB 888, introduced in 2023. Like Allen’s earlier bill, AB 888 sought to make Cal Grants accessible to students with pending asylum applications by creating a direct eligibility pathway outside the AB 540 residency requirements. The bill passed the Assembly unanimously but was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee last September, effectively ending its chances for the year.
Cervantes declined an interview with CalMatters. “My Assembly Bill 888 would have created a new pathway for pending asylum seekers in California to apply for Cal Grant financial aid in pursuit of their higher education,” Cervantes wrote in a statement.
Newsom’s office declined to say whether he would support a future version of the proposal, pointing instead to his brief 2019 veto message.
“There’s nervousness around anything that involves new expenses," Allen said. “... We’re going to have to spend some time seeing what information we can get with regards to better data to get better estimated costs. I think that will help to better inform the conversation."
Andrea Baltodano and Chrissa Olson are contributors with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.
