Food access is foundational to student well-being, academic persistence, and belonging. Yet some UCLA students experiencing food insecurity are not fully served by existing campus resources or public benefits such as CalFresh. BruinFresh emerged from a student-led, cross-campus effort to address that gap.
BruinFresh is designed as a UCLA-based supplemental nutrition initiative providing limited, restricted-use food support to enrolled graduate and professional students whose needs are not fully addressed through existing campus or public resources. It complements—not replaces—CalFresh, emergency aid, campus food pantries, and other assistance programs.
In Spring 2026 graduate and professional students passed the BruinFresh student-fee referendum as a funding strategy to kickstart BruinFresh at UCLA. Each enrolled graduate and professional student will be assesed $5/quarter or $7.50/semester.
WHY BRUIN FRESH
The mission is BruinFresh is acommitment to reducing food insecurity by providing enrolled UCLA graduate and professional students with reliable access to nutritious, high-quality food. Through equitable food assistance, community partnerships, and student-centered support, we empower students to focus on their education, improve their well-being, and thrive both inside and outside the classroom.
Complementing UCLA's Existing Food Support
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BruinFresh is a supplemental food support program designed to complement UCLA's existing basic needs and food resources.
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Graduate and professional students will be invited to apply, with support prioritized for students demonstrating the greatest level of need, including those who face structural barriers to accessing CalFresh and/or existing campus food resources.
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BruinFresh is being developed through a student-centered planning process that combines research, campus collaboration, and direct input from graduate and professional students. Program development and stakeholder engagement will continue throughout 2026 in preparation for a Winter Quarter 2027 launch.
Want to Be Involved?
If you are interested in being apart of the creation of this program, join our Focus Groups. Focus groups are being conducted in Fall 2026 in-person. To participate, you must be a graduate and professionals students.
If you want to learn more or participate, please fill out this form: https://sa.ucla.edu/forms/p/htYD6.
If you are interested in being apart of our program in Winter 2027 please add your contact information with this form: https://sa.ucla.edu/forms/p/F0qrN.
Apply for BruinFresh
Application Link Coming Soon!