California college students who are short on money for food now have an easier path to CalFresh, the state's version of the federal SNAP food benefits program, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday.

Under the change, any undergraduate enrolled in a degree program at a California Community College, a California State University campus or a University of California campus meets the program's initial application requirements, according to the governor's office. Students still have to be financially eligible, and they must be enrolled at least half-time in an associate or bachelor's degree program.

What changed

Until now, students had to prove they fit one of several special exceptions before they could even be considered, a process the governor's office described as cumbersome enough to discourage many eligible students from applying at all. Now simply being enrolled in a qualifying degree program satisfies that first step.

The state said the change does not create any new benefit. It is meant to help people get help they already qualify for. Eligible students can receive up to $306 a month to buy groceries, according to the announcement; EdSource, which covered the announcement, described the amount as up to about $300 a month for food at grocery stores and farmers markets.

The state expects more than 200,000 additional students to enroll, bringing in over a quarter-billion dollars in food aid, the governor's office said.

Announced at a Bay Area food bank

Newsom made the announcement at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank alongside First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and California Department of Social Services Director Jennifer Troia, where they talked with students about the change.

"We can't expect students to learn if they're hungry," Newsom said in a statement. "You shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get the food benefits you're entitled to, and now you don't have to."

Troia called CalFresh "the largest anti-hunger program in the country" and said she hoped the changes would make it easier for students to get it.

An outreach push

The state also launched an outreach campaign called "Full Carts" to let students know they may qualify. Ripple executive chair Chris Larsen, a member of the governor's Breakthrough Advisory Group, gave $1.5 million to fund it, and Instacart and Snap are helping spread the word on their platforms, according to the governor's office.

CalFresh is federally funded and run by California's counties. It serves nearly 5.2 million people a month in more than 3.1 million households, the state said.

How to apply

Students can apply online at BenefitsCal.com. People who already have an EBT card can manage their benefits through the free ebtEDGE app.