Eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps) is temporarily expanded to include students enrolled at least half-time in an institution of higher education. The Utah Department of Workforce Services implemented these changes to the eligibility criteria for SNAP as provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

Students must still meet the income guidelines to be eligible—Utah will temporarily add two new student exemptions to the existing list. These temporary exemptions now include:

• Any student who is eligible to participate in State or federally financed work-study. Students can find information about their eligibility to participate in work study in their financial aid award letter.
• Additionally, the exemptions also include students who have an Expected Family Contribution of $0 will also qualify, if family circumstances have changed since students entered college they can work with their financial aid office to reflect those changes.

If students have any questions if they currently meet the new criteria they can contact their financial aid office for clarification, students should get this information in writing to help establish their eligibility. To find out if they meet the income guidelines, students can visit here for more information.

These important changes were made because of the impact COVID-19 has had on college students, as many campuses have limited work-study opportunities because of how the pandemic has changed on-campus employment. The new, temporary exemptions are effective immediately and will be in effect until 30 days after the federal COVID-19 public health emergency is lifted.

For more information:

• To learn more about these changes, click here.
• To see if a family may be eligible for SNAP, use UAH’s SNAP Calculator.
• To apply for SNAP, click here.
• For food resources on campus visit the Feed U Food Pantry website.