On-campus food poverty in England: student hunger and university free food provision - final report.

Educational institutions, notably schools, have become central to the operation of food banks and alleviation of food poverty (Baker et al, 2025; Bradbury and Vince, 2025). However, little is known about on-campus food poverty and student hunger, and the role of universities in supporting students’ basic needs. In 2023, one in four UK universities was reported to be operating a food bank for their students amidst a ‘cost-of-learning crisis’ (Freeman, 2023). With narrow financial margins, dependence on loans and parental support, students have been especially vulnerable to inflationary cost rises. According to the Office for Students (OfS) (2023), nearly half of students are facing financial difficulties, leading student food poverty to become a vital issue in contemporary higher education (HE), and food banks marking an important addition to on-campus support. However, little is known about wider free food provision that universities have implemented to support their students. This report provides summary findings of a 20-month British Academy/ Leverhulme-funded project to examine on-campus free food provision in response to student need. We define free food provision as food that is free at the point of collection and consumption and is based on presumed and/or evidenced student need.