CARES Act Student Emergency Aid Application

CARES Act funding covered expenses related to the disruption of normal institution operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CARES Act Expansion: CRRSAA

As an expansion of the CARES Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), 2021, was signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020. UWF received additional CRRSAA funds to offer financial aid grants to students. Unlike CARES, CRRSAA guidance required institutions to prioritize students with exceptional need. UWF is committed to providing support for students with the most significant financial needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. This page specifically to previous CARES funding. For information about CRRSAA, visit our CRRSAA page.

Initial Funds Expended

Initial UWF CARES Act Emergency Grant funds have been expended. Students were considered by means of an application submission or inquiry through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships with supporting documentation or were selected based on institutional eligibility criteria. Students selected by UWF accepted their award via MyUWF in order to self-certify that they met the eligibility criteria as defined by the Department of Education.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Must be enrolled in the semester for which the student is requesting aid.
• Must be a degree-seeking student–Undergraduate, Graduate, Specialist, or Doctoral.
• Must be eligible to receive Title IV aid; see Title IV Eligibility Criteria (Basic Eligibility Criteria for Federal Student Aid).
• Enrollment was impacted by COVID-19 and have expenses incurred for housing, food, course materials, technology, healthcare, or childcare.
• Must have submitted 2019-2020 FAFSA if applying for Spring 2020 or Summer 2020; must have submitted a 2020-2021 FAFSA if applying for Fall 2020 or Spring 2021.
• Must not be enrolled in a fully online program.

Application Process:

CARES Act Student Emergency Grant Applications were accepted via the UWF Scholarship Portal through May 19, 2020. When funds remained after the initial application period closed May 20, 2020, subsequent application inquiries were made by contacting the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at finaid@uwf.edu.

Students were required to provide documentation with the application (e.g., unemployment documentation, letter/documentation from employer, lease if for rent, invoice for health care or child care, etc.). Students were notified via UWF email of approval or denial of their application within 10 business days of submission.

Award Amounts and Disbursement:

• Maximum for each disbursement is $1,250.
• Students may receive more than one disbursement pending they meet eligibility criteria.

*Student must have dependent child on FAFSA or provide documentation of dependents.

Department of Education CARES Report

While ED develops a process for institutions to directly provide the required reporting data, it has in the meantime called for institutions to make easily accessible to the public — via the institution's website — the following items:

• An acknowledgement that the institution signed and returned the certification and agreement form and that the institution has used, or intends to use the funds to provide the mandated amount of at least 50% of the emergency financial aid grants to students.
  • UWF acknowledges that we signed and returned our certification on April 10, 2020, and we will award at least 50% of our CARES funding in the form of emergency financial aid grants directly to students.
  • UWF received $3,400,694 for emergency aid grants for students.
  • UWF has about 6,000 students eligible to receive Title IV aid.
  • UWF is using an application to determine which students will receive emergency financial aid grants. The preceding Award Amounts chart was used to determine the amount of funding.
  • This is UWF's CARES webpage, offering instructions and guidance on emergency financial aid grants.

  Of note, ED made a change to when the 30-day reporting clock begins. Initially, ED had indicated that institutions were required to submit their first report 30 days from the date the institution signed the certification and agreement form. In this latest guidance, ED changed that date to 30 days from when the institution received its student portion of the HEERF.

  ED noted that the above data points are to be reported in the aggregate and in a way that protects personally identifiable information, and should also be updated by the institution every 45 days after the first required 30-day reporting submission.

  For the latest on how COVID-19 is impacting higher education and student financial aid, refer to NASFAA's COVID-19 Web Center.

  Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund CARES Reporting

  CARES Emergency Financial Aid Grants Distributed

  As of Reporting Date	Total Disbursed	Student Recipients
  May 12, 2020	$136,715	147
  May 22, 2020	$815,545	710
  May 29, 2020	$1,284,245	1,102
  June 5, 2020	$1,341,275	1,150
  June 12, 2020	$1,608,875	1,376
  June 19, 2020	$1,773,725	1,477
  July 10, 2020	$1,906,952	1,622
  July 17, 2020	$1,922,522	1,634
  July 23, 2020	$1,933,352	1,644
  July 31, 2020	$2,575,352	1,648
  Aug. 7, 2020	$2,648,152	1,705
  Aug. 14, 2020	$2,742,152	1,762
  Aug. 21, 2020	$2,790,152	1,792
  Sept. 11, 2020	$3,159,152	2,159
  Sept. 25, 2020	$3,191,802	2,191
  Oct. 2, 2020	$3,216,352	2,214
  Oct. 16, 2020	$3,242,920	2,243
  Dec. 31, 2020	$3,379,720	2,214*
  Jan. 20, 2021	$3,400,694	2,225*

  Dec. 31, 2020: 2,489 student awards issued to a total of 2,214 students; Jan. 20, 2021: 2,504 student awards have been issued to a total of 2,225 students. Based on continued COVID-19 impact, some students have received more than one award.

  Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Reporting

  HEERF Quarterly Reporting

  Aid Type	Total Disbursed	Student Recipients
  Quarter Ending March 31, 2021
  CARES Act Emergency Student Grants	$3,400,694	2,225
  CARES Act Institutional Aid 1,3	$600,462	612
  CRRSAA Emergency Student Grants	$2,185,850	2,845
  SIP Strengthening Institutions Program 2	$337,172	188
  Quarter Ending June 30, 2021
  CARES Act Emergency Student Grants	$3,400,694	2,225
  CARES Act Institutional Aid 1,3	$600,462	612
  CRRSAA Emergency Student Grants	$3,400,694	4,102
  SIP Strengthening Institutions Program 2	$337,172	188
  CRRSAA Institutional Aid 3	$176,656	155
  American Rescue Plan Emergency Student Grants	$0	0
  Quarter Ending Sept. 30, 2021
  CARES Act Emergency Student Grants	$3,400,694	2,225
  CARES Act Institutional Aid 1,3	$600,462	612
  CRRSAA Emergency Student Grants	$3,400,694	4,102
  SIP Strengthening Institutions Program 2	$711,165	300
  CRRSAA Institutional Aid 3	$194,606	180
  American Rescue Plan Emergency Student Grants	$6,122,200	5,616
  Quarter Ending Dec. 31, 2021
  CARES Act Emergency Student Grants	$3,400,694	2,225
  CARES Act Institutional Aid 1,3	$600,462	612
  CRRSAA Emergency Student Grants	$3,400,694	4,102
  SIP Strengthening Institutions Program 2	$711,165	300
  CRRSAA Institutional Aid 1,3	$322,606	245
  American Rescue Plan Emergency Student Grants	$7,093,144	6,476
  Quarter Ending March 31, 2022
  CARES Act Emergency Student Grants 4	$3,400,694	2,225
  CARES Act Institutional Aid 1,3	$600,462	612
  CRRSAA Emergency Student Grants 4	$3,400,694	4,102
  SIP Strengthening Institutions Program 2	$1,068,315	300
  CRRSAA Institutional Aid 1,3	$427,106	285
  American Rescue Plan Emergency Student Grants 4	$11,269,751	9,241
  American Rescue Plan Emergency Grant Institutional Aid 3	$12,882	65

  1 A portion of CARES and CRRSAA institutional aid was used for students with a military affiliation whose housing allowance was negatively impacted by COVID.
  2 UWF received a Title III SIP grant from the US Department of Education (DOE) which made UWF eligible to receive HEERF funding in the category of SIP. Of the total $1,808,800 received, $1,068,315 was used for student aid. Of the amount used for student aid, $337,172 was awarded to seniors near graduation, and $731,143 was used to provide scholarships for students to help assist in the cost of attendance in the STEM Scholars program.
  3 A portion of institutional aid was awarded utilizing the same criteria as the CARES, CRRSAA, and ARPG emergency student grants. 4 Specific to this webpage, March 31, 2022 is UWF's final Quarterly Reporting for the Student Portion of HEERF (PR/Award Number: P425E200197). This quarterly reporting reflects all expenditures of the Student Portion.

  FAQ

  Who was eligible to receive the CARES Act Student Emergency Grant?

  • Must be enrolled in the semester for which the student is requesting aid.
  • Must be a degree-seeking student–Undergraduate, Graduate, Specialist, or Doctoral.
  • Must be eligible to receive Title IV aid; see Title IV Eligibility Criteria (Basic Eligibility Criteria for Federal Student Aid).
  • Enrollment was impacted by COVID-19 and have expenses incurred for housing, food, course materials, technology, healthcare, or childcare.
  • Must have submitted 2019-2020 FAFSA if applying for Spring 2020 or Summer 2020; must have submitted a 2020-2021 FAFSA if applying for Fall 2020 or Spring 2021.
  • Must not be enrolled in a fully online program.

  How did students apply for the CARES Act Student Emergency Grant?

  Students who had an expense incurred related to COVID-19 were able to complete the CARES Act Student Emergency Grant application previously open in the UWF Scholarship Portal, found in MyUWF. If they had not previously submitted a scholarship application, they had to first submit the general application. Once they did so, if they met the qualifications, they would be able to view it under "Other Recommended Opportunities" or by searching CARES Act Student Emergency Grant. Students were to select applicable circumstance and had to upload documentation with their application to verify COVID-19-related impact as outlined in the application.

  I have not applied for FAFSA. Is it too late to complete the 2019-2020 FAFSA for CARES funds consideration?

  Yes. Students were able to complete the 2019-2020 FAFSA (needed for spring and/or summer requests) through June 30, 2020.

  How much funding could a student receive?

  Grant amounts vary by student and are based on each student’s circumstances and documentation. The grant is a one-time award, meaning they could apply only once. Students were advised to have all documentation available prior to submission.

  How did students know if their application was approved?

  Students were be notified via their UWF email of approval or denial and you should have received notification within 10 business days of submitting an application.

  How and when did students receive funding?

  Refund were sent to BankMobile, a technology solution powered by BMTX, Inc., via students' previously selected refund preference, within seven business days of application approval.

  What about students who didn't have a BankMobile refund process or didn't know their refund preference?

  For information about refund preferences and BankMobile, a technology solution powered by BMTX, Inc., visit UWF's BankMobile webpage.

  How could students use the money?

  Grants were refunded to use for expenses incurred due to COVID-19.

  If students had a balance with UWF, was their grant applied toward their balance?

  No, grants were refunded to students, even if they had a balance. Students were advised to check their CashNet for up-to-date balance information. If they wanted to use their refund to pay a balance, they were able to do so via any of the UWF accepted payment methods.

  What if students needed more than what was awarded?

  We understand students have significant needs during this time. The CARES Act Student Emergency Grant is meant to supplement other funding sources. Students having financial difficulties are advised to reach out to their Financial Aid counselor to discuss other available options.

  What does it mean to be “eligible to receive Title IV aid?”

  Basic Eligibility Criteria for Federal Student Aid requires that you have the following:

  • Demonstrate financial need.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen.
  • Have a valid Social Security Number.
  • Be registered with Selective Service if you’re a male (you must register between the ages of 18 and 25).
  • Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program.
  • Be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds.
  • Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
  • Sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form stating that:
    • You are not in default on a federal student loan.
    • You do not owe money on a federal student grant.
    • You will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.

    Were international students eligible to receive CARES Act Student Emergency Grant?

    Because international students are typically not eligible to receive Title IV aid, most international students were not eligible for CARES Act Student Emergency Grant. International students having financial difficulties are advised to reach out to International Programs at international@uwf.edu or Case Management at casemanagement@uwf.edu to discuss other available options.

    Whom do I contact if I have questions?

    Please contact the UWF Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at finaid@uwf.edu or 850.474.2400.