For millions of students, small, unexpected financial shocks are a dominant feature of the college experience, triggering cascading consequences that jeopardize their ability to remain enrolled and complete a credential. When emergency aid is available, timely, and easy to access, it promotes stability and security during these moments of acute need.

The expansion of emergency aid during the pandemic demonstrated that investment can be deployed rapidly and widely, nationwide. At the same time, the sharp contraction of aid following the expiration of federal relief has opened up an enormous funding gap at a time when students’ needs are as acute as ever, and when public support is becoming even more meager. States have an opportunity to fill this gap while leveraging the existing emergency aid infrastructure that exists at most schools.

Students should not be required to interact with several additional layers of bureaucracy during an emergency, and states and institutions should continually assess whether the parameters of their programs match what students are saying their needs really are. In designing or enhancing programs, states should minimize administrative barriers, clearly communicate eligibility and availability, allow for flexible use of funds, and invest in data-driven improvement. Just as importantly, emergency aid should be understood not as a last line of defense for students, but as a core component of a comprehensive student success strategy, one that is clearly expressed to students, faculty, and others who act as touch points across campus. The effectiveness of state emergency aid programs, and the effectiveness of future federal support, depends on these programs being adequately funded and designed with students’ actual experiences in mind.

States have an opportunity to build on and learn from what works in the handful of states that have begun to offer their own programs, as well as institutions across the country that continue to operate their own essential, if limited, interventions. Emergency aid, when implemented effectively, can ensure that a sudden hurdle does not become a permanent barrier to students achieving their goals and dreams. 

Funder Disclosure

This publication is based on research funded in part by the Gates Foundation. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the project funders.

Acknowledgments

In addition to the author, Mark Huelsman, many current and former staff and fellows at The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs contributed to the research, writing, design, and release of this report, including Bryan Molina, Bryce McKibben, Muhammad Kara, Rjaa Ahmed, Joshua Rudolph, and Lauren Bohn. Their work and collaborations are deeply appreciated.

We also extend our thanks to several officials and partners across several states who helped clarify, review, and provide feedback in the initial stages of this research, including those from the Washington State Board of Community & Technical Colleges, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, tnAchieves, and State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.