CARES Act Student Portion - Final Report

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
Emergency Student Financial Aid Grants
Final Report as of June 30, 2020

The information below is provided in fulfillment of the requirement associated with the Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

  1. On April 13, 2020, 今日吃瓜 (the 鈥淐ollege鈥) signed and returned to the Department of Education (the 鈥淒epartment鈥) the Certification and Agreement. No less than 50% of the College鈥檚 total award was used to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants directly to students.
     
  2. On April 24, 2020, the College received confirmation from the Department that it had been awarded up to $511,412 as its allocation for the Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
     
  3. As of June 30, 2020, the College distributed all $511,412* of the Emergency Financial Aid Grant funding to eligible students.
     
  4. The estimated total number of students at the College as of April 24th eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act was 921 students.
     
  5. The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act is 690 students.
     
  6. The initial distribution of CARES Act funds ($23,144) in early May was directed to Title IV eligible students enrolled in the College鈥檚 Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research (鈥淕SSWSR鈥) during the Spring 2020 semester based on the fact that the students were significantly negatively impacted by the COVID-related disruptions including expenses associated with the sudden switch to remote learning and fieldwork in March. The funds were distributed by formula to all eligible students in the GSSWSR. Most eligible students received up to $200 to cover expenses such as those related to technology (hardware, software and/or internet connectivity), healthcare, and child care.

    On June 18th, the College distributed the remainder of the funds ($488,277*). Given the near-universal impact of COVID-caused unexpected expenses, a focus on getting the funds into students鈥 hands as quickly as possible, and a desire to prevent inequitable access to the funds, the College distributed the funds equally to each U.S. undergraduate student who had completed a FAFSA form for 2019-20, who was Title IV eligible, who demonstrated financial need by qualifying for need-based financial aid during the Spring 2020 semester, and who was actively enrolled as of May 1, 2020. Students were notified multiple times about the fact that the purpose of the CARES Act funds is to provide financial resources to help students deal with expenses incurred as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus such as the costs of food, housing, course materials, technology (hardware, software or connectivity), healthcare, travel, and arrangements for the retrieval/removal of their belongings from campus. The undergraduate students were asked to affirm that they had qualifying expenses. Students who acknowledged that they did not have qualifying expenses, did not receive the CARES Act funds, thereby increasing the funds sent to the remaining students. Most eligible undergraduate students received $898.

    All of the students were degree-seeking; none were enrolled in a distance-only program; and almost all of the students were enrolled full-time.
     
  7. Students of the GSSWSR who received funds were sent an e-mail on April 21, 2020 notifying them about the distribution of funds to help them offset extra expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19 disruptions to the academic program.

    All undergraduate students received a communication via e-mail on May 27, 2020 describing the CARES Act, eligibility criteria, and the examples of qualifying expenses. It also referenced the fact that the funds are not taxable. Then on June 10th and 11th, each student who was identified as eligible received a personalized e-mail letting them know the distribution logistics and providing an individualized, electronic form by which they were asked to acknowledge whether or not they had incurred expenses as a result of the disruption to campus operations due to coronavirus in an amount that met or exceeded the amount to be distributed.

*The original posting of this report mistakenly referenced the grant amount as $511,412 and therefore the remainder distributed as $488,268. This webpage was corrected on June 30, 2021.