Nearly three in five undergraduate students on U.S. campuses experience basic needs insecurity. This means they lack access to stable sources of food, housing, or other living or educational essentials, like affordable childcare or technology. Basic needs insecurity unequivocally jeopardizes student success, increasing the likelihood of leaving college without a degree.
As Kentucky approaches 2030 with the goal of increasing the state’s educational attainment rate to 60 percent, it must do more to enroll a greater proportion of low-income adults into postsecondary education and support them with campus-based services throughout their academic careers.
This report from the Kentucky Student Success Collaborative (KYSSC) constitutes a year-long project focused on student basic needs. The primary objective of the effort is to increase access to basic needs support for postsecondary students and to increase access to postsecondary education for individuals receiving state support.