HEERF III ARP Reporting – Student Portion


 

Student Reporting December 31, 2021

In April 2020, the College of the Holy Cross signed and returned to the Department of Education (Department) the Certification and Agreement under Section 18004(a)(1) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.  Pursuant to this Certification and Agreement, the College acknowledges an additional award of $2,484,002 authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students and provides assurance that the College has used this award to continue to support students who have an exceptional need due to the coronavirus.  

 

 

Quarter Ended

December 31, 2021

The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under the ARP program

 

$602,518

The estimated total number of students eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the ARP program

 

1,149

The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to Students under the ARP program

 

460

 

 

The method(s) used by the College to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under the ARP program

 

The College offered a one-time grant to students enrolled in the Fall 2021 term and who demonstrated financial need with preference to students with exceptional financial need as determined by 2021-2022 FAFSA on file. For students who did not complete a FAFSA, or are not a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident, the College consider requests for aid using the 2021-2022 Financial Aid Appeal. These students were provided an award with NO application required.  The amount of the grant was determined by considering the Pell eligibility, federal expected family contribution (EFC), and any appeals for financial aid made for the award year 2022.   Students with a Pell award generally received a sum equal to 25% of the 2021-2022 Pell award amount.  Students with an EFC of $37,500 or less received a grant between $350 and $500; those with the lowest EFC received the larger grant.  Each criteria was applied separately and summed to arrive at the total award for each student.

 

The following students were encouraged to apply for assistance using the 2021-2022 Financial Aid Appeal:

  • Those who did not receive Pell Grants or have an EFC above $37,500, but have experienced exceptional need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Those who received an emergency grant, but have additional exceptional need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

 

 September 27, 2021 letter

 

September 27, 2021 Letter

The College is pleased to offer a grant award to you through the Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III as authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP).  Funding is available to students who are currently enrolled in the fall 2021 semester and who meet the eligibility criteria outlined on the COVID information page under ARP Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.

The offer you are receiving is a grant; it will not affect your financial aid offer for the 2021 - 2022 academic year.  It is not a loan and does not need to be repaid.  The grant, to the best of our knowledge, is not taxable.  To view the acceptance agreement and the amount of your offer please login into STAR and select the TouchNet Billing+Payment link.

Please read the Grant Award and Acceptance Certification to understand the terms of your grant award.  After reading the certification choose “Skip” to view the amount of the grant award offered. The amount of the grant award offered will be presented in a billing statement.  The system will retain a record of your election when you choose to “Accept” or “Decline” the grant award.  When you choose to “Skip” making an election you will be offered an opportunity on your next login to indicate your election.  The system will continue to prompt you at login until you make an election or the offer is cancelled.  The offer will remain available until October 23.  Awards not accepted by the deadline will be canceled.

By accepting this grant you certify that you (1) are a student meeting the eligibility criteria outlined on the ARP Higher Education Emergency Relief information page; (2) acknowledging that the award will be used for any component of your cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care including mental health; (3) will use the federal grant for those expenses, and (4) will assist and cooperate with the College with regard to any audit or regulatory review of the federal grant provided to you. 

If you or your family’s financial situation has changed significantly from what is reflected on your federal income tax return (for example, if you’ve lost a job or otherwise experienced a drop in income), you may be eligible for additional support.  Please complete the 2021-2022 Financial Aid Appeal  form to assist us in determining your eligibility.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email at bursar@holycross.edu or financialaid@holycross.edu.