Since the enactment of the American Rescue Plan Act – President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief package
– in March, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has made roughly $40 billion available to institutions of higher education through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF).
Both public and private non-profit institutions are required by law to use at least half of the funds they receive to directly support students with emergency aid grants. For-profit institutions must use 100% of their HEERF dollars for emergency student aid. The
emergency grants are flexible, in that students can use the money to cover expenses considered part of the cost of attendance and for emergency expenses related to the pandemic, including food, housing, health care, and child care.
Institutions are required to prioritize grants to students with the fewest financial resources, such as those who receive Pell Grants. However, the exact distribution of the grants may vary by institution.
NCAN members should advise students to ask their college or university how it will distribute the emergency aid. Points of contact may vary between institutions, but the financial aid office would be a good place to start.
On May 14, the Department of Education released much-anticipated new guidance regarding who is eligible for emergency aid from colleges and universities.
"Any individual who is or was enrolled at an eligible institution on or after March 13, 2020, the date of declaration of the national emergency due to the coronavirus," can receive emergency aid, according to this new guidance. In contrast to the direction
given under the Trump administration, the guidance makes clear that institutions may provide emergency aid to undocumented students, students enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and international students.
The key takeaway for NCAN members: Students are eligible for emergency aid regardless of whether they have completed a FAFSA or are eligible for Title IV aid. (This was not the case under the last presidential administration.)
Lastly, institutions may still have emergency aid dollars available from the first and second allocations of the
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. This new guidance applies to all three rounds of COVID relief funding.
K-12 Can Also Use Aid Dollars to Support College Access
The American Rescue Plan Act also provided $122 billion for K-12 schools through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund.
The fund represents a tremendous opportunity to provide students with support that can keep them on the pathway to postsecondary education.
K-12 districts and schools are permitted to use these funds broadly, and NCAN’s strong desire and sincere hope is that many of these local education agencies will invest these funds in college and career readiness activities. NCAN’s community-based organization
and nonprofit members should make themselves readily available to fill in supports wherever possible.
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