Undergraduate Students’ Food Insecurity at Eighteen Research-Intensive Universities

Abstract

Access to healthy, nutritious food is vital for student wellbeing, yet food insecurity is a widespread issue across college campuses. This poster uses data from the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey administered during 2022 to undergraduate students at eighteen R1 institutions including the University of Minnesota (n = 114,947). It addresses the following research question: How did the University of Minnesota’s levels of food insecurity compare to seventeen other institutions in the SERU Consortium during 2022? Food insecurity was assessed using a six-item food insecurity screen. University of Minnesota undergraduate students experienced less food insecurity (37.5%) versus all students at 17 other public R1s (more than 40%). Furthermore, social class was the greatest predictor of food insecurity. Finally, results suggest that students from marginalized backgrounds (e.g., BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or international students) experience even greater levels of food insecurity. While results at all institutions were comparable, these data suggest that campuses must continue addressing food insecurity.