New Mexico College Students Struggle with Basic Needs: A Crisis Uncovered

According to New Mexico In Depth, Nicole Pelt, a 20-year-old Diné student, is on track to be the first person in her family to graduate from college. Now in her senior year at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, Pelt has chosen Native American Studies as her major. Her passion for understanding and addressing the impacts of colonization, such as the widespread lack of clean, running water on the Navajo Nation, drives her academic pursuits.

“For me, earning a degree means everything,” Pelt shared. “My mom started college but couldn’t finish because balancing school, raising my sister and me, and managing daily life became too overwhelming. Everything I do at UNM is not just for me; it’s for my family as well.”

Pelt’s goal is to become a teacher, potentially at a local tribal school, and eventually earn a master’s degree, likely in Indigenous education.

However, her journey has not been easy. During her first year at UNM, Pelt became homeless.

“I bought a sleeping bag and carried it from one friend’s dorm to another, laying it out on the floor wherever I could,” she recalled. “I stayed until I felt like I was overstaying my welcome.”

Pelt’s experience is not unique; thousands of college students in New Mexico face similar struggles with unstable housing and limited access to food.

A Statewide Crisis of Basic Needs

In 2023, the UNM Basic Needs Project, in collaboration with the New Mexico Higher Education Department, surveyed nearly 10,000 students and 4,000 faculty and staff across 27 higher education institutions in the state. The findings were alarming: more than half of the students had faced challenges securing stable housing or adequate food within the previous year. These rates are significantly higher than the national average, and the challenges are particularly severe for Native American and Black students, who already graduate at lower rates than their peers at UNM.

The survey revealed that a lack of food and stable housing is linked to poor academic performance and negative life outcomes, such as lower grade point averages, increased likelihood of dropping classes, and higher rates of depression and anxiety.

“When we conducted the survey, we anticipated some stark numbers,” said Higher Education Deputy Secretary Patricia Trujillo. “But seeing the actual percentages was difficult to digest.”

Despite many students receiving federal or state scholarships, these funds often fall short of covering all academic and living expenses, including food, housing, transportation, healthcare, and sometimes childcare.

A Struggle to Survive and Succeed

Pelt grew up in Albuquerque before moving to southern Texas for high school. Higher education wasn’t a common topic in her household, largely due to financial concerns.

“I think my parents were hesitant to encourage me because they knew they couldn’t afford it,” Pelt explained. “At the time, we were barely making rent, let alone thinking about sending me to New Mexico for college.”

In 2021, Pelt was accepted to UNM and attended on a nursing scholarship. However, her living situation quickly became unstable. After her initial housing arrangement with a friend fell through, she spent two months moving between friends’ dorms, all while juggling school and a job at Frontier Restaurant.

The stress took a toll on her academics. “I stopped caring about classes because I was more focused on where I would sleep, when I would eat, or how much my next paycheck would be,” Pelt said.

When she confided in her academic advisor about her homelessness, she was met with indifference. Fortunately, she later found support at the American Indian Student Services center, where an advisor helped her secure her own dorm room and a work-study job at the center. Without that support, Pelt doubts she would have remained at UNM.

The National and Statewide Scope of the Problem

Nationally, around 23% of undergraduate and 12% of graduate students experience food insecurity, while 8% of undergraduates and 5% of graduate students face homelessness. However, these figures are even higher in New Mexico.

According to the UNM Basic Needs Project’s 2023 survey, 58% of New Mexico students had experienced food insecurity in the past year, and 62% had faced housing insecurity, which includes situations like not having a roof over one’s head, leaving a household for safety reasons, or struggling to pay utility bills.

Native American and Black students in New Mexico face even greater challenges. The survey found that 70% of Native American and 68% of Black students had experienced food insecurity, while 69% and 76%, respectively, had faced housing insecurity.

These disparities are rooted in a long history of systemic inequities. As lead researcher Sarita Cargas, director of the New Mexico Basic Needs Consortium, pointed out, policies that dispossessed Native Americans of their lands and discriminatory practices like redlining have prevented many families from building generational wealth. This lack of resources catches up with college students who don’t have the financial support to cover the costs of higher education.

At tribal colleges in New Mexico, the situation is even more dire. At Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint, 90% of students reported experiencing basic needs insecurity, followed closely by Diné College (83%) and the Institute of American Indian Arts (82%).

Balancing Work and School

The majority of students surveyed were either employed (62.8%) or actively seeking employment (17.7%). Many reported considering dropping out of school to take on additional jobs, being distracted in class by hunger and stress, or skipping class to work extra shifts.

New Mexico In Depth spoke with several Indigenous students at UNM’s main campus who shared their struggles with balancing work and academics. Crucita Cate, a biochemistry student from Kewa Pueblo, works 20 hours a week as a research assistant while pursuing her goal of attending medical school.

“It’s about getting through one semester at a time, trying to figure out how to pay for it, and then moving on to the next,” Cate said. “Working just to have something to eat while I’m here has been a lot to handle.”

The cost of on-campus housing and a meal plan for the last academic year was estimated at $11,884, with additional costs like books and transportation adding another $6,368.

Nautisha Keeto, a Diné business major in her senior year, has also faced significant challenges. Her parents struggled to provide for her and her sister, making it difficult for her to focus on school.

“My parents always emphasized the importance of education,” Keeto said. “But working 35 hours a week while taking five courses is a lot to manage.”

Despite the hardships, Keeto is determined to be the first in her family to earn a college degree. “I wanted to break the cycle and go to college, and I’m very happy that I did,” she said. “It’s been a struggle, but it’s worth it.”

Efforts to Address Basic Needs

Since 2021, the New Mexico Higher Education Department has allocated over $2 million to initiatives aimed at increasing access to nutritious food on college campuses. These efforts have benefited an estimated 15,000 students.

Most recently, the department awarded $1 million to eight higher education institutions for projects that promote food security. The UNM Basic Needs Project received $45,000, while Navajo Technical University was granted $125,000 for a project that integrates cultural practices and traditional knowledge about agriculture.

Institutions are also exploring partnerships with local farmers to provide fresh produce to students. “People are getting very creative,” said Deputy Secretary Trujillo. “We want to move away from just emergency pantries and make food security a fundamental part of the college experience.”

While progress is being made in addressing food security, efforts to improve housing access for students are still in the early stages. The Higher Education Department is working with institutions across the state to better understand their students’ housing needs.

One of the challenges is finding sustainable funding to support students in meeting all the costs associated with college. “We know the state can’t cover everything,” Trujillo said, highlighting the need for federal grants and philanthropic support.

Looking ahead to the 2025 legislative session, there are several proposals that Cargas hopes state lawmakers will consider. One recommendation is to establish basic needs offices on every college campus. These offices could provide targeted outreach to help destigmatize seeking assistance for food or housing and expand on-campus food pantry hours.

Another proposal is to create emergency grant programs for students facing crises that affect their ability to attend classes. Similar programs in states like Washington and Minnesota have proven successful in helping students stay in school during difficult times.

“There is a lot of opportunity here in New Mexico to solve these issues,” Cargas said.