The Pantry at Queen's is one of those initiatives - a free food refill station for students.
It started in 2022 and has seen an increased rise in demand with roughly 5,000 people using the service since September.
The survey, of over 600 students and apprentices in Northern Ireland, found that 19% have accessed a foodbank in the last year, a 12% annual increase.
Another initiative to help students with the cost of living is the Swap Shop which opened about two months ago.
The shop allows people to swap one item of clothing for another.
Chris Murray represents students at Ulster University's Coleraine campus.
"The cheapest purpose-built student accommodation in Belfast is £550 a month, that's not even covered by a student loan so how does the government expect students to eat?" he asked.
"Sometimes students are paying for a contract that they can't get out of, having to move home to their parents' house which could be hours away just to get free meals."
Financial difficulties are having an impact on student's studies too.
The survey showed 22% of students have missed class because they can't afford the price of public transport to get there.
Chris said that is also affecting student's mental health.
"The stress surrounding 'Am I going to eat my next meal?' is going to impact a student's ability to focus, concentrate and do their studies...any stress surrounding the cost of living would have just taken up all my mind," Chris said.
Speaking about the survey results, NUS-USI president Ben Friel said: "It's simply unacceptable that so many students are struggling to afford basic necessities like food and rent.
"We're seeing a generation of students building credit card and loan debts just to keep a roof over their heads.
"These alarming rates of student poverty are not normal."