Changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Dear UIC students, faculty and staff,

Changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for students in colleges, universities and other institutions of higher education will take effect soon.

We encourage you to take a moment to familiarize yourself with the new requirements, as students currently enrolled in the program may be required to provide additional information to keep receiving benefits.

What’s new?
Effective Dec. 1, students attending a college or university such as UIC are eligible to receive SNAP benefits if they:

• Are enrolled more than half-time (defined at UIC as being registered for seven to 11 hours for undergraduate students and five to eight hours for graduate and professional students), AND
• Meet one student exemption AND
• Meet the general SNAP eligibility requirements.

Students who have a UIC meal plan may be ineligible for SNAP benefits if they receive the majority of their meals this way. However, simply having a meal plan does not automatically make a student ineligible for SNAP.

What are student exemptions?
Examples of common student exemptions include:

• Working at least 20 hours a week in paid employment.
• Participating in a state- or federally financed work-study program.
• Participating in an on-the-job training program.

There are also several exemptions related to taking care of small children and parenting while attending classes full-time. For details, please review the full list of exemptions listed on the U.S.Department of Agriculture’s Student SNAP webpage.

Students can determine if they qualify for an exemption by contacting the local SNAP office.

Employment opportunities and federal work-study information
Students can schedule an appointment with UIC Student Employment staff through Handshake or attend a weekly drop-in hour for resume reviews, job search advice on part-time on- and off-campus positions and more. Students interested in finding off-campus part-time employment are encouraged to explore the Job Location and Development Program.

Food resources on campus and in the community
As we continue to navigate these changing landscapes, we’d like to remind our community members about food assistance resources which we shared in a previous campus announcement. These resources have additional information about locations on campus, in the city of Chicago and across the state of Illinois that offer free meals, food or support.

If students don’t have enough to eat or don’t know where their next meal is coming from, they can request assistance through the basic needs form provided by the Office of the Dean of Students. For more information about student SNAP eligibility, visit the U.S.Department of Agriculture’s Student SNAP webpage.

Sincerely,

Michael Ginsburg
Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Student Affairs

Annette Wright
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor/Dean of Students

Natalia Lopez-Yanez
Director, Public Health Initiatives

For more information, please contact:
Office of the Dean of Students
dos@uic.edu