Student Defense Calls For North Carolina To Extend Its Food Assistance Certification Period to 12 Months
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2026
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Student Defense Calls For North Carolina To Extend Its Food Assistance Certification Period to 12 Months
RALEIGH, N.C. — Student Defense today called for North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to better support higher education students facing food insecurity by extending its Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program’s default certification period from six months to 12 months.
North Carolina’s FNS program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), requires most recipients to recertify their eligibility every six months. A 12 month certification period is only offered in “limited circumstances” in the state, while many other states frequently assign 12 months of benefits.
Student Defense sent a memo to NCDHHS that states, “food insecurity is a significant barrier to college completion for many students around the country. North Carolina’s unnecessarily burdensome food assistance policies are exacerbating the problem for the state’s students.”
The memo also highlights research showing that “SNAP/FNS and similar food assistance programs can lead students to physical and mental health, improved concentration on studies, increased degree attainment, and long-term economic security.” However, a recent study found that “nearly 30% of college students at five colleges in North Carolina experienced food insecurity, with an additional 16.7% facing marginal food security.” Nationally, it’s estimated that only one-third of potentially eligible higher education students are enrolled in food assistance programs.
Student Defense points to the “time-consuming and bureaucratic process of certifying eligibility” as a primary reason eligible Americans do not access food assistance, noting that “removing unnecessary administrative burdens will increase the rates of eligible individuals, including students, accessing and maintaining FNS benefits.”
“Extending the default certification period is a simple way to reduce barriers to food benefits that can drastically improve the lives of college students and other North Carolinians who aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from,” said Madeline Wiseman, Student Defense Senior Counsel. “Recertifying annually, as opposed to every six months, will benefit everyone facing food insecurity while reducing the workload for county offices.”
The memo calls for NCDHHS, the agency responsible for determining SNAP/FNS policy in the state, to “draft and submit for public comment a proposed rule altering North Carolina’s SNAP/FNS rules to assign a 12-month certification period by default to households without ABAWDs (Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents).”
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About Student Defense
The National Student Legal Defense Network (“Student Defense”) is a non-profit organization that works, through litigation and advocacy, to advance students' rights to educational opportunity and to ensure that higher education provides a launching point for economic mobility.
