October 1, 2021
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) III
Ursuline College has been awarded an additional $1,129,891 in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds III (HEERF III) from the U.S. Department of Education created under the American Rescue Plan (ARP). These funds are to assist students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to continue their education.
Institutions must prioritize HEERF III emergency grants to students with exceptional financial need (such as those that receive Pell Grants), however, students who did not file FAFSA’s would also be considered. The grants are available 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 that arose due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Eligibility
Students who meet the following criteria may be eligible to receive funds from this emergency grant:
- Enrolled for the Fall 2021 Semester as of September 20, 2021
- Are a US citizen or resident alien
- Are degree-seeking students in the Fall 2021 semester
Priority for awarding:
- First, to students with exceptional financial need
- Second, to FAFSA filers, prioritized by the FAFSA Expected Family Contribution
- Third, to non-FAFSA filers
Based on the criteria listed above, approximately 1029 students may be eligible to be considered for funds.
Awarding Process and Disbursement
Ursuline awarded funds from HEERF III as we did for the HEERF II funds - the initial round does not require an application. Grants to students were reviewed/awarded by the HEERF Grant committee in late September. All decisions of grant awards are final.
First Round Awards - No application required
All students who meet the eligibility criteria listed above will be reviewed, taking into consideration family income and FAFSA results to determine exceptional need. Based on the guidelines set forth by the HEERF Grant review committee, automatic block grants to students will be determined by mid-October.
Once awards are determined, students awarded will be notified via their Ursuline email account and checks will be mailed to the home address we have in our computer system.
Students can use these grant funds in the following categories:
- Any component of their cost of attendance, including unpaid tuition and room/board expenses. (Students choosing to do this can endorse their check and return it to the Student Service Center (Mullen 203) for payment on their account.)
- Emergency costs that arise due to the pandemic, such as:
- Tuition
- Food
- Housing
- Health care
- Child care
Second Round Awards – Application Required
A very small amount of the HEERF Grant funds will be reserved for new students in the Spring Semester and for emergency grants. Notification will be sent to all students if funds remain after the Spring awards – an application for any remaining funds will be created with a link sent to students explaining the criteria for the remaining funds. The amount will be determined based on remaining funds and the number of applications.
Students should watch their Ursuline email for notification of the on-line application availability and deadline for Round 2 if we have remaining funds after awards in the Spring.
Update, Spring 2022
For the small amount of funds that we have left, we decided we will be awarding automatic grants to needy students in spring of 2022; no application will be required.
