West Virginia benefits for college students
What West Virginia students can get beyond financial aid: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance, West Virginia Medicaid health coverage, child care help, phone and internet discounts and tax credits, with each program's own rules and application. Each section links to the full rules.
Checked against official sources October 11, 2026
Food assistance: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
West Virginia's name for SNAP, run by West Virginia Department of Human Services, Bureau for Family Assistance. If you are enrolled at least half-time, you need a student exemption to qualify, such as working 20 hours a week, work-study or caring for a young child. If you are enrolled less than half-time, the student rule does not apply and only the regular SNAP rules do. See every exemption →
Health coverage: West Virginia Medicaid
West Virginia has expanded Medicaid, so adults with low incomes, students included, can qualify based on income. All your health coverage options →
Child care help: West Virginia Child Care Program (Child Care Subsidy)
Going to college or training counts as an approved activity in this state. Self-initiated education counts as a qualifying activity, with minimum credit hours: undergraduates need 12 credit hours in fall/spring (or 6 credit hours plus at least 15 hours a week of work, job training or WV Works activities), and 6 credit hours each summer session (or 3 plus 15 hours); graduate students need 9 credit hours in fall/spring (or 3 plus 15 hours) and 6 per summer session (or 3 plus 15 hours). Students taking only web-based or correspondence courses are NOT eligible; a mix of in-person and online courses is fine if the credit-hour minimum is met. Income must be within the state fee-scale limits.
Apply for West Virginia Child Care Program (Child Care Subsidy) · Help on campus (CCAMPIS) →
Phone and internet: Lifeline
We found no extra state Lifeline discount on West Virginia's official pages, so the federal discount applies. Who qualifies →
Taxes
West Virginia has no state Earned Income Tax Credit. The West Virginia Tax Division continues its agreement with Free File Alliance companies (1040.com, 1040NOW, FreeTaxUSA, OLT, TaxAct) that offer free federal and West Virginia online filing to taxpayers who meet each company's limits (for example, AGI of $51,000 or less for FreeTaxUSA and OLT, or $32,000 or less for 1040NOW).
Free state filing · Federal education tax credits → · Free federal filing →
Keep looking
We explain programs; West Virginia's agencies decide who gets them. Spot something wrong? Tell us.