MISSION CRITICAL - The Role of Community Colleges in Meeting Students’ Basic Needs - 2022 National Report

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

MISSION CRITICAL - The Role of Community Colleges in Meeting Students’ Basic Needs - 2022 National Report examines how food insecurity, housing insecurity, and related barriers undermine community college student success, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the 2021 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE), plus interviews at three community colleges, the report quantifies prevalence and engagement patterns. It highlights the mission-critical need for holistic, equity-focused college action and connections to support services.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages33

Reading Time1 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Too Many Students Lack Food and Housing Security

2021 CCSSE Respondents

Findings Related to Food Security

Food Security Index for Community College Students

Findings Related to Housing Security

Housing Security Index for Community College Students

Findings for Students With Dependent Children

Students With Less Food and Housing Security Are More Engaged

Are Colleges Doing Enough About Addressing Students’ Basic Needs?

Methodology

How Colleges Are Helping Students in Need

Next Steps

MISSION CRITICAL The Role of Community Colleges in Meeting Students’Basic Needs 2022 NATIONAL REPORT Acknowledgments While community colleges open their doors to all students, open access is just the first step toward attaining the equity ingrained in the mission of these institutions. The more significant work is meeting every student where they are and ensuring they have the support they need to succeed. Creating equitable conditions for students requires viewing them holistically, and that happens through understanding the external challenges and barriers to success they face. The mission has never been more critical than it is now. CCCSE gratefully acknowledges ECMC Foundation and The Kresge Foundation for co-funding this project, which allowed CCCSE to build on working knowledge about food insecurity, housing insecurity, and homelessness among community college students. These foundations provided support for the selection of additional survey items focused on students’ basic needs, which were added to the 2021 administrations of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE); CCCSE’s interviews with students at three community colleges; and the development of this national report. At a time when enrollments are down, achievement gaps persist, and students are in need of support in ways that were perhaps not fully realized before the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring these pressing issues at the national level and bringing further attention to the students who endure these hardships could not be more crucial. The following advisory panel of experts provided guidance on the selection of the additional survey items: ◗ Dr. Rashida Crutchfield, Associate Professor, California State University, Long Beach ◗ Dr. Melissa Richardson Curtis, Vice President of Student Success, Howard Community College (MD) ◗ Dr. Brenna Ellison, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Agricultural Economics, Purdue University ◗ Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab ◗ Dr. Davis Jenkins, Senior Research Scholar, Community College Research Center, Teachers College Columbia University ◗ Dr. Kay McClenney, Senior Consultant to the President and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges; Senior Fellow, National Center for Inquiry & Improvement ◗ Jeff Webster, Director of Research, Trellis Company We would also like to thank the participating colleges and their students for sharing their perspectives through the survey administrations and interviews. Without these voices, we would not be able to demonstrate how students are experiencing these issues at a national level. This report is dedicated to the many students who, against all odds, continue to attend college to make better lives for themselves and their families. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of CCCSE and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of ECMC Foundation or The Kresge Foundation.© 2022. Permission granted for unlimited use with appropriate citation. Please cite this report as follows: CCCSE. (2022). Mission critical: The role of community colleges in meeting students’ basic [needs. ](needs. www.cccse.org/NR22)[www.cccse.org/NR22](needs. www.cccse.org/NR22) Contents Too Many Students Lack Food and Housing Security 2 2021 CCSSE Respondents 4 Findings Related to Food Security 6 Food Security Index for Community College Students 9 Findings Related to Housing Security 11 Housing Security Index for Community College Students 14 Findings for Students With Dependent Children 16 Students With Less Food and Housing Security Are More Engaged 18 Are Colleges Doing Enough About Addressing Students’ Basic Needs? 20 Methodology 23 How Colleges Are Helping Students in Need 24 Next Steps 27 Too Many Students Lack Food and Housing Security Throughout higher education, there is increasing concern about stude

FAQs

What problem does the report focus on?

The report focuses on how many community college students face food insecurity and housing insecurity, and how these basic-need barriers affect their ability to succeed.

How was the report developed?

It uses the 2021 CCSSE and SENSE administrations, CCCSE interviews with students at three community colleges, and survey-item additions related to students’ basic needs.

What does the report suggest community colleges should do?

It emphasizes that colleges must treat student basic needs as mission-critical by supporting students directly and connecting them to relevant government and community support services.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys