Spring 2020
Funding for Institutional Aid
As of Sept. 30, 2020, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø expended $818,001 in emergency aid under the CARES Act Section 18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion.
Funding for Student Aid
On April 23, 2020, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Recipient’s Funding Certification and Agreement (Agreement) relative to emergency financial aid grants to students made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law on March 27, 2020.
Subsequent to signing and returning the Agreement to the U.S. Department of Education, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø received, on May 7, 2020, funding in the amount of $818,001.
The funds were to be used by 51³Ô¹ÏÍø to issue direct grants to students whose lives were disrupted by Covid-19. Pursuant to the CARES Act, the grants were to be used by students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic such as housing, food, course materials, technology, healthcare and childcare.
The amount awarded to each school was based on a school’s total enrollment and the number of Pell recipients.
Approximately 1,157 51³Ô¹ÏÍø students were eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), and considered for emergency financial aid grants. If a student filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), then the student demonstrated eligibility to participate in programs under Section 484 of the HEA.
As of October 30, 2020, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø distributed $818,001 in emergency financial aid grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to 891 students.
Eligible students received an email the week of May 11, 2020 confirming 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's determination that they met the requirements of the CARES Act along with our internal guidelines and would receive a grant.
If you have any questions about your eligibility, please contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@colgate.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the CARES Act, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is not allowed to issue grants from the HEERF funding to DACA students or international students.
No, but the United States Department of Education has strongly encouraged schools to distribute the grants to its neediest students.
The 886 grant amounts will vary but the maximum award will be no more than $1,172.
Whether a student would receive a grant, and if so the amount of the grant, was determined based on a student’s demonstrated financial need.
No application is necessary to receive these funds.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø distributed $813,001 to eligible students on May 15, 2020. If 51³Ô¹ÏÍø had your banking information on file (either as a TouchNet e-refund account or Payroll direct deposit), it distributed the funds to you electronically. Otherwise, a check was mailed to your home address on file. 51³Ô¹ÏÍø will distribute the remaining funds in the coming weeks.
No. 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is not allowed to apply HEERF student grant funds to a student’s account.
No, this funding does not impact your financial aid eligibility.
No. This is a grant and not a loan.
Based on current guidance from the Department of Education, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø does not anticipate requesting or requiring documentation on your use of the grant funds. However, as noted above, the funds are to be used for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic such as housing, food, course materials, technology, healthcare and childcare.
The IRS has indicated that this grant is not taxable. For further information, see the attached link on the IRS website.