Eligibility

As of April 2026, the following citizenship guidelines must be met: 

• You must be one of the following to be eligible for CalFresh:
• U.S. citizen or U.S. national
• Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR / Green Card holder)
• Cuban or Haitian Entrant (CHE)
• Compact of Free Association (COFA) resident (refugees, asylees, and trafficking victims are no longer eligible for the program under this federal change)

Household Size 

A "household" in CalFresh comprises of an individual or group of people who live together AND purchase and prepare meals together. Most students can apply for CalFresh independently as a CalFresh Household of 1, but they must be under 22 years old and not living with parents/guardians. Students can also apply independently if they have roommates but purchase and prepare food separately. 

Income 

Households will need to have gross monthly income of less than or equal to the current limit to be eligible for CalFresh. Gross income refers to all the income a household receives before taxes. For example, if a student is applying as an household of one, they would need to make $2,610 or less of gross monthly income to be eligible. 

Monthly income cannot exceed the income guidelines depending on household size:

Household size 1: $2,610
Household size 2: $3,526
Household size 3: $4,442

Information for larger household sizes can be found on the San Diego County Income Limits page. 

Students must meet at least one student exemption from the following list: 

• Students must be working at least 20 hours per week OR 80 hours per month 
• The student is receiving a TANF Cal Grant A or B 
• Student is work study eligible and accepted offer 
• The student has on-campus employment (no minimum hour requirement) 
• Be an EOPOS (Educational Opportunity Programs, Outreach and Success) Student 
• The student is studying a major/program undernealth LPIE (review below) 
• Some students with dependents may be eligible 

 LPIE stands for Local Programs that Increase Employability - all undergraduate associate and bachelor degrees are under LPIE including undeclared majors. Students must be enrolled part-time. We have created an LPIE List Booklet for more information.