Update
The CARES Act funds were fully depleted and disbursed as of November 24, 2020. This final quarterly posting is the final report that covers all remaining HEERF fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student Portion Funds.
The CARES Act funds were fully depleted and disbursed as of November 24, 2020. This final quarterly posting is the final report that covers all remaining HEERF fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student Portion Funds.
In response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Congress passed the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Aid, which provides $6.3 billion in direct support to institutions. North Carolina Central University signed and returned the Certification of Agreement to the Department of Education on April 13, 2020, which authorized $8.9 million for institution support and student assistance. The university will disseminate $4,466,117 as emergency financial aid grants for students in accordance with the CARES Act regulatory requirements.
The university established a CARES Act Emergency Relief Aid task force to review guidelines and establish criteria for disbursement of the student relief aid. Funding assistance was to all students with a valid FAFSA who met Title IV eligibility requirements to cover a student’s expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19, including, but not limited to the following:
To qualify for the CARES Act Emergency Relief Aid, students had to have a valid FAFSA application on file and meet all Title IV eligibility requirements, such as, but not limited to, the following:
Students who were not eligible to receive funds from the CARES Act were international, DACA, exclusively online students, and students who were not meeting Federal Title IV eligibility requirements.
Students received funding in the following three priority areas from the CARES Act Emergency Higher Education Relief Act and were awarded up to $1,200:
Priority 1:
Title IV Eligible Students: 1,842
Priority 2:
Title IV Eligible Students: 2,890
Priority 3:
Title IV Eligible Students: 1,048
There are 5,838 eligible Title IV recipients, of which 5,791 (99%) students received the CARES Act Emergency Aid funds directly by direct deposit or check; however, the funds will not reduce or offset account balances. The deadline for submitting a CARES Act Emergency Relief Aid Application was May 4, 2020.
Fall 2020
The University awarded $256,900 in additional CARES Act emergency aid to support nearly 1,000 students for the fall semester. The awards ranged from $271 to $272. Due to limited funding, the following packaging philosophy was adopted to disseminate the CARES Act funds on November 24, 2020:
Spring 2020
The CARES Act Emergency Relief Aid supported 5,791 students. The student will receive an email notification when funds have been awarded. The first round of payments was distributed on May 8, 2020, to over 1,000 recipients. The funds will be posted to students' accounts and refunds disseminated before May 31, 2020, as follows:
Description |
CARES Act Funds Posted by |
Anticipated Refund Date |
Number of Students |
---|---|---|---|
Prospective May Graduates |
May 2, 2020 |
May 8, 2020 |
1,139 |
Applications Filed by 4/22/20 or EFC is 0 |
May 10, 2020 |
May 15, 2020 |
2,889 |
EFC Above 0 |
May 17, 2020 |
May 22, 2020 |
1,763 |
We are very appreciative of the funding approved through the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Aid for students. These funds have been disseminated in accordance with established policies. Recipients awarded the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Aid are meeting the eligibility requirements for Title IV Aid.