Presbyterian College CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II
In January 2021, the federal government announced a plan to provide funding to colleges to assist students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Presbyterian College signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Recipient’s Certification and Agreement with the assurance that it will use no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 314(a)(1) of the CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
Presbyterian College received a total of $1,506,419 from the Department of Education, with $519,108 directly impacting students, pursuant to our Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
Per the federal guidelines, all colleges and universities that receive CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II funding must use at least half of the funds to assist students with unexpected costs associated with the transition from on-campus to remote learning. As of March 19, 2021, PC has distributed $519,108 of the total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 314(a)(1) of the CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II.
903 PC students are 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 314(a)(1) of the CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II. 502 students have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 314(a)(1) of the CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II.
PC’s awarding of the CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II Grant prioritizes students based on financial need as determined by the 2019-2020 FAFSA. Based on this prioritization, PC created two groups.
The first group of students included those who demonstrated the greatest need, and automatically received a CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II grant. The following criteria were used to determine which students were eligible to receive the CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II grants and how much they were eligible to receive under Section 314(a)(1) of the CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II:
- Students were eligible for Title IV funding (as determined by their 2020-2021 FAFSA) at the time of the academic disruption.
- Student was registered as a full-time student (12 or more credit hours) for the Spring 2021 semester
- Each student’s expected family contribution (EFC) was 9,999 or less as determined by the 2019-2020 FAFSA.
The parameters above generated a group of 371 students who were automatically awarded a CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II grant, totaling $426,650. Disbursements were made to these students on March 19, 2021.
On March 2, 2021, recipients were notified by email explaining why they were selected to receive a CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II grant to assist in covering unexpected expenses related to the transition from on-campus to remote learning.
On March 19, 2021, grants were provided to students through direct deposit or a mailed check to their home.
The second group of students included those who did not meet the initial eligibility requirements for the automatic grant. Students in this group were encouraged to submit an emergency fund application. Students who completed the emergency fund application by the priority date of March 15, 2021, were evaluated for CRRSAA: HEERF Act Grant II grants based on the following information:
- Eligibility for Title IV Funding (as determined by their 2020-21 FAFSA) at the time of the academic disruption
- 2020-21 Expected Family Contribution (EFC), as determined by the FAFSA
- Current enrollment status as of Spring 2021 semester
- The extent that the student has been impacted by COVID-19
PC received 137 applications for the emergency fund by the priority deadline. Of the applications received, 137 were eligible and received grants ranging between $530 and $830. A total of $92,530 was disbursed on March 19, 2021 for these students.
On March 2, 2021, students were notified by email regarding the COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund Application process, including eligibility requirements and priority deadlines.
On March 19, 2021, grants were provided to students through direct deposit or a mailed check to their homes.