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 here.
CRRSAA Expense Categories
John Carroll University has received federal funding from CRRSAA, 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 utilize funds 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
JCU will distribute funding in two ways. Approximately 50% of the funding will be issued through automatic distribution to students with the greatest need and by application for those who do not qualify for automatic distribution.
Timeline of HEERF II/CRRSAA Process at JCU
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 JCU 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 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 JCU 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 JCU 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 II funds. 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:
- 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. Non-degree, visiting students, students who have graduated or withdrawn, and JCU 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.
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 JCU 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.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY beginning 3/17/2021.
How will funds be disbursed?
An email will be sent to your JCU email if/when the funds have been awarded. Emergency grants will be processed through your JCU student account. If the funds are intended to assist with tuition expenses, students must give JCU 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)
JCU has made the process of documentation easier by creating a direct link to your personal qualifying documents through your Student Profile on the Financial Services tab.
More information about the new, temporary exemptions can be found here. To find out how to apply, or for other questions about your SNAP eligibility, contact your local SNAP office.
Communication of Funding Opportunity
Information regarding the HEERF II/CRRSAA funding was provided to the entire JCU community (students, parents, faculty, and staff) via the following methods:
- Direct email to all eligible students
- Inside JCU
- HEERF II website
- Inclusion in COVID 19 Task Force weekly update to students, parents, faculty, and staff
- JCU Social Media Accounts (FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter)
- 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.
John Carroll 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).
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How will I receive this money? Automatic distributions (Round 1) and emergency grants (Round 2) funded through CRRSAA will 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.
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Do I need to repay the money? No, you will not need to repay any money received through this fund.
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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.
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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.
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Are the emergency grants taxable? Emergency funds disbursed through CRRSAA are not considered taxable income.
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Who can I contact for other questions?
Please contact caresact@jcu.edu with any other questions you may have.