Where will I sleep? How can I afford food? And how long is the wait for a school therapist?
These are thoughts that trouble many of Oregon’s college students today.
In this file photo from Dec. 2022, the Portland State University food pantry stores canned and dry goods, produce, snacks and other goods like diapers for parenting students. A 2024 survey of university students found food insecurity to be a top concern.
Meerah Powell / OPB
A new survey of more than 1,200 students attending Oregon’s higher education institutions shows that concerns about finding and paying for a place to live, affording food and other living expenses, and maintaining mental health are among the top issues they face.
“Housing, student basic needs and mental health were at the top of nearly every ranking, across every campus, across every demographic group,” said Nick Keough, legislative director for statewide student advocacy nonprofit Oregon Student Association. “I think that just goes to show the urgency of these issues.”
OSA administered its Statewide Student Survey earlier this year and released the results in August. OSA’s last survey of this kind was released five years ago — before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey asked students to rank 10 issues previously identified by their peers from most important to least important. More than half of the issues dealt with Oregon’s high cost of living, soaring tuition costs and student health support services.
Students attending a public university represented more than three quarters of survey respondents, with the majority of them attending the University of Oregon. Oregon’s community college students also took part, with a large number of students from Lane and Linn-Benton Community Colleges responding. About a quarter of the students surveyed self-identified as either people of color, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, low-income or as the first in their family to attend college.
Students attending the University of Oregon represented a large amount of students polled in the survey.
Courtesy of University of Oregon
The need for more affordable housing options emerged as the top concern for students at nearly every university and community college polled.
“I know some students who are on the verge of dropping out of school because they just can’t afford it,” said Angelo Arredondo, OSA’s legislative chair and current student at Oregon State University. “They can’t afford to live there. They can’t afford to eat. They can’t afford those basic necessities that some people take for granted.”
Housing and food insecurity are not unique to Oregon’s college students. Recent survey data from the National Center for Education Statistics found that nearly a quarter of the nation’s undergraduate students experienced food insecurity in Spring 2020. About 8% of these students had trouble finding stable housing. Graduate students also experienced housing and food insecurity, though at lower rates. The national survey found that students who identified as Black or Latinx were also more likely to have experienced food insecurity.
College students who struggle to find affordable housing and daily meals often have negative degree attainment outcomes. Recent studies that followed housing and food-insecure college students found they were less likely to continue their education and graduate with a degree than peers with stable housing and food sources.
OSA staff said the findings from the survey of Oregon students are the result of years of underinvestment in the state’s higher education system. A report released by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association earlier this year found that Oregon was far behind many other states when it came to public funding of its higher education institutions. Oregon was ranked 44th. That low ranking is despite the Oregon Legislature increasing investments in higher education in recent years.
The survey, which helps OSA set its legislative agenda, comes ahead of the upcoming 2025 session.
“OSA’s previous priorities have been really ambitious and creative but in recent years, we’ve had to focus more on just funding our food pantries and finding housing for students,” said Alex Aghdaei, OSA president and senior at University of Oregon. “That’s, in part, because of the pandemic, but also because our institutions are not providing these resources for students.”
In last year’s short session, OSA introduced a bill that would’ve bolstered existing basic needs and textbook affordability programs at Oregon’s community colleges and universities. But that proposal was stuck in committee when the session ended.
OSA is set to present key findings from the survey to the Senate Interim Committee On Education, Sept. 23.