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Through theCoronavirus Response & Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA),ۿ۴ý has been awarded additional funds by the U.S. Department of Education to make emergency financial aid awards to assist students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemicto continue their education.

CRRSAA emergency financial aid awardsare prioritized for students with exceptional financial need to cover costs, such as tuition and fees, food assistance, housing assistance, health care (including mental health care) emergencies, childcare emergencies, and other educational-related expenses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

More information regarding the total cost of attendance can be found here.

Please keep an eye out for an email to your jcu.edu account for more information and contact caresact@jcu.edu for any questions not answered below.

CRRSAA Emergency Fund Application available beginning 3/17/2021.

About HEERF II

The federal government recently announced the distribution of emergency cash grants to college students whose lives and education have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. This funding is available through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II, authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). Learn more about the CRRSAA .

CRRSAA Expense Categories

ۿ۴ý University has received federal funding from , which provides assistance for student expenses or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus. CRRSAA grants for students may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care.

Students can utilizefunds in these categories:

  • any component of their cost of attendance including unpaid tuition and room and board expenses
  • emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as:
    • tuition
    • food
    • housing
    • health care (including mental)
    • child care

Fund Distribution

ۿ۴ý will distribute funding in two ways. Approximately 50% of the funding will be issued throughautomatic distribution to students with the greatest needand by application for those who do not qualify for automatic distribution.

Timeline of HEERF II/CRRSAA Process at ۿ۴ý

Timeline of HEERF II distribution and application.

Am I eligible for Round 1 or Round 2?

Round 1 - Automatic Disbursement

To receive an automatic disbursement through the HEERF II/CRRSAA program, a ۿ۴ýstudent must:

  • Have a 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with the Financial Aid Office.
  • If selected, must have completed federal verification requirements.
  • Must be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Must have an expected family contribution between $0-$5,711.
  • Must be currently enrolled in courses to receive funding.

Round 2 - Emergency Grant Application

If you do not receive an automatic disbursement based on need in Round 1, you can submit an emergency grant application in Round 2.

To receive an emergency grant through the HEERF II/CRRSAA program, a ۿ۴ý student must:

  • Have a 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with the Financial Aid Office.
  • If selected, must have completed federal verification requirements.
  • Must be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Must be currently enrolled in courses to receive funding.
  • Certify the request for funding is due to COVID-19 circumstances.

Exclusion Criteria

Non-degree, visiting students, students who have graduated or withdrawn, and ۿ۴ý employees and their spouses who are using a faculty/staff tuition benefit are not eligible for this emergency grant funding.

Federal guidelines exclude undocumented and international students from receiving HEERF IIfunds. Also excluded are transient students and those who are enrolled as non-degree-seeking students.

Round 1 - Automatic Distribution

Approximately 50% of the funding will be issued through automatic distribution to students with the greatest need as described below.For the automatic distribution, each Undergraduate, Post-Bac, or Graduate student must meet the following criteria:

  1. Have a 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with the Financial Aid Office.
  2. If selected, must have completed federal verification requirements.
  3. Must be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  4. Must have an expected family contribution between $0-$5,711.
  5. Must be currently enrolled in courses to receive funding. Non-degree, visiting students, students who have graduated or withdrawn, and ۿ۴ý employees and their spouses who are using a faculty/staff tuition benefit are not eligible for this emergency grant funding.

Award amounts to eligible students can range from $750 to a maximum of $1,000. The highest grant amounts are provided to eligible students who exhibit the highest financial need as determined from their FAFSA.

Funding amount possible for HEERF II Round 1.

Round 2 - Emergency Grant Application

The remaining HEERF II funds are available for students who did not qualify for the automatic distribution or have had additional unexpected expenses or incurred hardship because of COVID-19 in a semester in which the student has not received an automatic distribution. Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, tuition, books, food, housing, health care, mental health care, or child care.

To be considered, you must:

  • Have a 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with the Financial Aid Office.
  • If selected, must have completed federal verification requirements.
  • Must be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Must be currently enrolled in courses to receive funding. Non-degree, visiting students, students who have graduated or withdrawn, and ۿ۴ý employees and their spouses who are using a faculty/staff tuition benefit are not eligible for this emergency grant funding.
  • Certify the request for funding is due to COVID-19 circumstances.

The HEERF II funds awarded via the emergency grant application will not exceed $500 for emergency expenses. Please note that students who receive the automatic distributions are not eligible to apply for additional emergency financial aid funds.

You may submit a request for these emergency financial aid funds by completing the online form available on March 17, 2021. Applications will close at 5:00 pm EST on March 26, 2021.

beginning3/17/2021.

How will funds be disbursed?

An email will be sent to your ۿ۴ý email if/when the funds have been awarded. Emergency grants will be processed through your ۿ۴ý student account. If the funds are intended to assist with tuition expenses, students must give ۿ۴ý authorization otherwise funds will be released via the direct deposit on record or a mailed check.

Expanded college students’ access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits (formerly called Food Stamps).

  • The federal government has also boosted the amount of the benefit – for someone who purchases and prepares their food alone, the SNAP benefit is $234 per month. Right now, because of the pandemic, everyone who qualifies for SNAP gets the maximum amount for their household size (see chart below).
  • Eligible students can use SNAP benefits to buy food through an EBT card (which can be used as a debit card at qualifying retailers). You can use SNAP to buy food at supermarkets, local groceries, corner stores, farmers markets, and from Amazon, Walmart, and Aldi (through Instacart).
  • To qualify for these expanded benefits, you must meet one of the following criteria:
    • Are eligible for work-study (even if you do not have a work-study job), OR
    • Have an “Estimated Family Contribution” of $0 (determined through the FAFSA process)

ۿ۴ý has made the process of documentation easier by creating a direct link to your personal qualifying documents through your on the Financial Services tab.

More information about the new, temporary exemptions can be found . To find out how to apply, or for other questions about your SNAP eligibility, contact your .

Communication of Funding Opportunity

Information regarding the HEERF II/CRRSAA funding was provided to the entire ۿ۴ý community (students, parents, faculty, and staff) via the following methods:

  • Direct email to all eligible students
  • Inside ۿ۴ý
  • HEERF II website
  • Inclusion in COVID 19 Task Force weekly update to students, parents, faculty, and staff
  • ۿ۴ý Social Media Accounts (FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter)
  1. What is CRRSAA?

    The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) is federal legislation that provides a variety of financial support to individuals and organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    CRRSAA includes a Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) that provides more than $23 billion in emergency funding to higher education to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. CRRSAA requires that an institution receiving funding provide the same amount in financial aid grants to students from the new CRRSAA funds that it was required to provide under its original CARES Act Student Aid Portion award.

    ۿ۴ý University will receive $1,112,203 to provide directly to students for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, and health care (including mental health care).

  2. How will I receive this money? Automatic distributions (Round 1) and emergency grants (Round 2) funded through CRRSAAwill be processed by direct deposit or check.We strongly encourage you to opt to receive your refund via direct deposit.Direct deposit will result in more efficient processing and enable you to receive your money sooner than getting a check in the mail.

  3. Do I need to repay the money? No, you will not need to repay any money received through this fund.

  4. Can the money be applied directly to my student account? Yes, the funds awarded to you can be applied directly to your outstanding account for tuition and/or room & board.

  5. Does this funding affect my other financial aid? No. This is an emergency grant to assist with costs of attendance and to manage unexpected expenses related to the coronavirus. It will not have any impact on other financial aid you may be eligible to receive.

  6. Are the emergency grants taxable? Emergency funds disbursed through CRRSAA are not considered taxable income.

  7. Who can I contact for other questions?

    Please contact caresact@jcu.edu with any other questions you may have.