Federal Exemptions
To be included in the SNAP household, a student must meet at least one of the following criteria:
Attending high school, which is not an IHE
Attending a school or training program that is not an institution of higher education
Enrolled in an institution of higher education less than half-time, as determined by the institution
Under age 18 or
Age 50 or older
Physically or mentally unfit
NOTE: Verification is required when the unfitness is not evident to the CAO. Verification may be, but is not limited to, either proof that the student gets a disability benefit or a statement from a physician or a licensed or certified psychologist.
Responsible for the care of a dependent household member under age 6
Responsible for the care of a dependent household member older than 5 but under age 12 if adequate child care is not available for the student to attend class and satisfy the 20-hour weekly work requirement or participate in a state or federally financed work-study program during the regular school year
Enrolled full-time in an institution of higher education, as determined by the institution, and a single parent (or a single caretaker, if no parent is present) responsible for the care of a dependent child under age 12, regardless of the availability of adequate child care
Participating in an on-the-job-training program
Working 20 hours a week or self-employed with weekly earnings equal to at least 20 hours times the federal minimum hourly wage or participating in a state or federally financed work-study program during the regular school year
NOTE: Earnings do not have to be countable for a student to be eligible. For example, a student with excluded earnings from a temporary census job may qualify as an eligible student.
NOTE: An unpaid internship does not fulfill the requirements for SNAP eligibility.
Participating in a work-study program under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965
NOTE: work study earnings are not countable as income.
Receiving TANF benefits
Enrolled in an institution of higher education through or to comply with the requirements of any of the following:
A program under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program
The SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program (see Chapter 535.1)
The Trade Act of 1974 (Section 236) program
Pennsylvania’s Expansion
If a student does not meet a Federal Exemption as listed above, to be included in the SNAP household, a student must meet at least one of the following criteria as part of Pennsylvania’s expansion to SNAP student eligibility:
Enrolled in one of Pennsylvania's community colleges at least half-time in a career or technical education program under the Perkins V program or in a course of study associated with a High Priority Occupation (HPO) as verified by the college.
CAOs may use the Community College Verification Form (PA 1959) to verify.
The CAO will use SNAP student code “13 – Placed in Inst of Higher Ed by JTPA, ETP, Sect 236 of the 1974 Trade Act or a State or Local E&T Prog approved by FNS” and narrate that the individual is eligible under the Perkins V program or a course of study associated with an HPO.
Students newly eligible for SNAP through this policy may not be referred to SNAP KEYS unless attending a school that is part of the demonstration project as described below. Students attending demonstration project schools should be encouraged to but are not required to participate in SNAP KEYS.
Name of Community College |
Refer to KEYS? |
Bucks County Community College |
no |
Butler County Community College |
yes |
Community College of Allegheny County |
yes |
Community College of Beaver County |
no |
Community College of Philadelphia |
yes |
Delaware County Community College |
no |
Erie County Community College |
no* |
Harrisburg Area Community College |
yes |
Lehigh Carbon Community College |
no |
Luzerne County Community College |
no |
Montgomery County Community College |
yes |
Northampton Community College |
no |
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College |
no |
Reading Area Community College |
no |
Westmoreland County Community College |
no |
*Erie County Community College does not yet have a KEYS program.
o For a list of all currently approved programs and more information about certifying new programs, see Appendix A.
o Use the Comparable Program Verification Form to verify enrollment status if questionable.
Students who are enrolled at least half-time in an institution of higher education and do not meet one of the above requirements are ineligible for SNAP.
Students who meet one of the requirements above and buy a meal plan that gives them more than half of their weekly meals are ineligible for SNAP.
“More than half” means a meal plan that provides 11 or more meals per week. Because meal plans vary among IHEs, the CAO should review each student’s circumstances and may need to ask the student for clarification if it is unclear how many meals per week they receive from a meal plan. The CAO may expand the review to meals per month if meals per week does not clearly determine eligibility. To do this, the CAO should count the number of meals received in a 4-week period. If the meal plan covers 43 or more of their 84 meals in a 4-week period, the student is considered ineligible.
Example 1: Mary attends Millersville University and has the 150 Block meal plan, which includes 150 meal swipes per semester plus $250 flex dollars. 150 meals over a 15-week semester would be 10 meals per week, and $250 in flex would be about $16-17 per week. The CAO is not sure how the flex money is spent and asks Mary. Mary states she purchases one meal per month with the flex dollars and spends the rest on some snacks for studying. Using the 4-week calculation, this would be 10 meals per week times 4 weeks for the base of the plan plus 1 meal per month using flex for a total of 41 meals per month. This meal plan covers less than half of her 84 meals in a month, so her meal plan does not make her ineligible.
Example 2: Justin attends Mansfield University and has the 14 weekly with $250 Flex plan. Because this plan covers 11 or more meals per week, Justin is ineligible.
Example 3: Francisco attends Slippery Rock University and has the Semester 75 plan, which includes 75 meals per semester plus $100 flex dollars. 75 meals over a 15-week semester would be 5 meals per week and $100 in flex would be about $6-7 per week. This meal plan covers fewer than 11 meals per week, so Francisco’s meal plan does not make them ineligible.
The CAO should not count meals which a student receives irregularly through student-to-student donation programs like Swipe Out Hunger toward the 11 or more meals calculation.
A student’s enrollment begins on the first day of the institution of higher education's term.
A student's enrollment ends upon graduation, suspension, expulsion, dropping out, or not intending to register for the next normal school term.
A student who was enrolled during the spring term and intends to enroll for the fall term is considered enrolled during summer vacation, even though he or she is not attending school. Summer school is not considered a normal school term.
Enrollment status continues when a student graduates from an institution of higher education and intends to enroll in a new course of study for the next normal school term.
Example: A student who graduates with their bachelor's degree in June and intends to enroll in graduate school in the fall is considered enrolled during summer vacation.
Updated August 30, 2023, replacing April 24, 2023