If you’re a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you should file your taxes each year by the deadline (generally in mid-April). You may be eligible for thousands of dollars in tax benefits available to students and people with low incomes. Even if you’re not required to file, you could benefit financially from filing and potentially get a refund. 

You can file taxes online for free using the IRS Free File tool, or use this tool to find free, local, in-person help with filing taxes. 

As a college student, you may be eligible for a significant tax return refund, including up to $2,500 for your college expenses. 

Even if you missed this year’s federal tax filing deadline, you can still file your taxes. There is no penalty for filing late if you are owed a refund, and many college students qualify for a refund. 

The IRS offers an Interactive Tax Assistant that helps you identify if you qualify for tax benefits for education.

If you have a bank account, select direct deposit to receive your tax refund; this is the fastest and most reliable and secure method of receiving your refund. Avoid gimmicks like gift cards which often come with fees. Setting up a checking account for yourself is a good idea if you have not done so already. 

Filing taxes also makes it easier to submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) because you can automatically import all your financial information. This may help you get additional financial aid to pay for basic needs such as food and housing. 

Working part-time might help supplement your income. But don’t be afraid to focus on your studies or borrow to afford critical expenses. Juggling too much work and school could make it harder to stay enrolled and graduate. 

Check with your financial aid office to see if you are eligible to participate in work-study and if any openings are available. Receiving work-study may also help you secure other assistance, such as food benefits (SNAP). 

Check with your college’s career services office to get job leads or paid internship opportunities. Faculty and classmates may also have ideas. 

Check online employment hubs that house information about current job openings near you or remote work opportunities. 

Many companies conduct virtual interviews rather than meeting in person. Consider these tips for a successful interview by phone, or video, recorded video, or getting to the second round. 

Your college may have a “career closet” offering free business attire and accessories for an interview. You can also search this map of organizations that can help you make a good first impression.  

If you are laid off from a job, you may be eligible for unemployment insurance. You can research the requirements and file a claim with your state’s unemployment agency. If you need help, connect with your college’s student support services office, or do a quick web search for assistance available in your area. If approved, you may receive a temporary wage replacement that is less than what you would normally be paid. 

The easiest way to receive and send money is with a bank account (sometimes called a “checking” or “debit” account). Colleges and universities can send any extra financial aid to these accounts. 

Look for bank accounts without monthly fees or that let you get money from local ATMs without racking up extra fees. 

If your college offers you a debit or credit card, make sure to ask about any fees. The federal government has previously found that some colleges offer cards to students that have excessive fees. It may be a better idea to set up a bank account on your own, rather than through your college. 

We know that all types of students at all types of colleges are experiencing basic needs insecurity, but many systemically marginalized students are experiencing particularly severe challenges. 

Having statistics on the prevalence of student basic needs security for your specific college (and/or state) will focus your campus conversations, increase awareness, and unlock action to help students. 

To document the prevalence of basic needs insecurity on your campus, consider regularly fielding a student basic needs survey—and measure progress. With every level of our Hope Impact Partnerships (HIP) program, we will help you field a comprehensive assessment of the basic needs of your students. 

If your state has not conducted a statewide survey of student basic needs, consider creating or joining an advocacy effort to request one. We are here to help. States like New Mexico and Washington State, and the community colleges in California, have conducted statewide surveys that have generated systemic policy change. These surveys can often be disaggregated by individual colleges. 

A critical part of supporting students’ basic needs is braiding together funding to sustain and expand the work. This can come from federal, state, or local governments, private donors and philanthropy, institutional funding, and other sources. 

Check out this federal funding guide on a few key grant programs that support comprehensive approaches to basic needs, on-campus child care, and mental health services. The guide also touches on how federal “earmarks” can be used to direct additional funding for valuable projects on campus, including basic needs. 

Ask your college or university leadership and/or governing board about how they’re investing in student basic needs.  

Participate in efforts to ask for additional federal, state, and local funding for basic needs. If your college has a government affairs office or staff, reach out to them to find out ways you can support timely funding requests to support basic needs. 

It can be challenging to determine how to help students with basic needs security at your college. In part because this movement is still relatively new, the evidence on various interventions is still emerging. 

Remember that students are most likely to reach out to people they know when they’re struggling with basic needs. That means that faculty and staff are at the front lines of student basic needs security. 

Consider adding a basic needs security statement on course syllabi. This can be done on a instructor-by-instructor basis, or coordinated and led at the campus-level in partnership with faculty.  

Colleges are more powerful when they join forces with other institutions of higher education, advocates, and practitioners. Look for coalitions on student basic needs working in your state or region. 

Check out our Policy & Advocacy page for more information on what The Hope Center is lifting and elevating.  

Mental health is a student basic need. Additionally, students who are experiencing basic needs insecurity are more likely to experience mental health challenges. These issues are interconnected. Not having enough to eat or a safe place to live can exacerbate anxiety, depression, and other conditions. 

This review study provides a comprehensive overview of effective public health interventions for improving college student mental health. 

Check out our guide for What Works for Improving Mental Health in Higher Education (2023), produced in partnership with the American Council on Education & Healthy Minds Network. 

Check out this Guiding Frameworks for Postsecondary Mental Health (2023), produced with support from The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in partnership with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. 

Check out Making the Case of Investments in Postsecondary Mental Health (2023), produced with support from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in partnership with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. 

Check out Trauma-Informed Approach and Practices in Higher Education (2023), produced with support from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in partnership with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. 

Check out Making Connections with Community Partners for Postsecondary Mental Health (2023), produced with support from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in partnership with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. 

Check out Navigating Postsecondary Mental Health Personnel Shortages (2023), produced with support from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in partnership with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. 

Check out Building Effective Postsecondary Referral Pathways to Community Mental Health Providers (2023), produced with support from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in partnership with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. 

This research study (September 2023) on the design of text messages related to food insecurity. 

This implementation guide on addressing food insecurity in Arkansas (July 2023), which speaks to using food pantries as a way to connect students to other benefits. 

This case study (August 2023) on the implementation of emergency aid programs in West Texas. 

This research study from The Hope Center on basic needs hubs (July 2023). 

This research study (February 2023) on the impact of providing meal vouchers to community college students. 

This implementation rubric (January 2023) from Education Northwest and the ECMC Foundation on ways that college can implement basic needs services. 

This research scan in Public Health Nutrition (November 2022) on ways for campuses to adopt a “health equity framework” to support food security. 

This guide from Education Commission on the States (May 2022) on community college approaches to student supports. 

This article for trustees (September 2023) on ways that campuses can support student basic needs.