HEERF Student Communications (2020)
Email sent to all CARES Act grant recipients June 3-4, 2020
Subject: UC CARES Act Grant Awards
Good morning!
On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) which included the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. UC received $611,494 under the emergency student aid program for the purpose of assisting eligible students who incurred “expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.”
The Department of Education (ED) provided guidance to higher education institutions regarding implementation of delivering the student grants. This guidance stated that students must meet the eligibility criteria in Section 484 of the Title IV Higher Education Act. Institutions were given the flexibility to include additional criteria in determining student eligibility and award amounts.
As a result of this guidance, UC awarded emergency financial grants from the CARES Act to students under the following conditions:
- Group 1: Students enrolled in a non-online degree program in Spring 2020 who had a full-time course load as of March 27, 2020, meet the Title IV eligibility criteria, and had an EFC from the FAFSA less than $11,000. These students were awarded $640.90.
- Group 2: Students enrolled in a non-online degree program in Spring 2020 who had a full-time course load as of March 27, 2020, meet the Title IV eligibility criteria, and had an EFC from the FAFSA greater than $11,000, or who did not have an EFC on record. These students were awarded $326.92.
- Group 3: Students enrolled in a non-online degree program in Spring 2020 who had a part-time course load as of March 27, 2020, meet the Title IV eligibility criteria, were listed as a dependent student, and had an EFC from the FAFSA less than $11,000. These students were awarded $200.
- Group 4: Students enrolled in a non-online degree program in Spring 2020 who had a part-time course load as of March 27, 2020, meet the Title IV eligibility criteria, were listed as a dependent student, and had an EFC from the FAFSA greater than $11,000, or who did not have an EFC on record. These students were awarded $100.
You have been identified as eligible for a CARES Act grant in one of these groups. The awards are currently being processed by the Office of Financial Aid. You will receive your grant either through direct deposit or by check. You should receive your grant electronically or by mail by June 17, 2020.
If you have questions about our awarding process or your grant, please do not hesitate to contact me or Christie Tomczyk, Director of Financial Aid, at christinetomczyk@ucwv.edu.
Stay safe and keep your Wings Up!
Beth
Email from Virginia Moore in Student Update 5/27/2020
Dear Students,
Happy Wednesday!! I hope you and your family are staying well and safe!
FAQ’s for today:
- Student Question: When will UC students who qualify for the CARES Act funds receive them and how much will we get them? UC Students who qualify to receive CARES Act funds will receive them by June 15th. The amount that you will receive is based on the Department of Education criteria and the amount of funding available to UC. Please make sure you are signed up for eRefunds (see attached instructions) and if you eligible for the funds, they will be direct deposited into your account.
- Student Question: When will I receive my Fall billing statement? Students will receive their UC Fall billing statement after July 1st. Please see the attached instructions on how to view your billing statement online and make a payment.
- Student Question: When will I be able to see my Fall financial aid award? Returning students will be able to see their UC Fall financial aid award after July 1st. New students can see their Fall financial aid awards at this time on the Financial Aid Self Service portal under your My UC login and a hardcopy has been mailed to your address on file with UC. Please make sure you have completed your 2020-2021 FAFSA (federal school code 003818) so our Financial Aid office can make sure that your award is correct. Returning students will be notified via their ucwv.edu email by ucfinancialaid@ucwv.edu so please watch for that email after July 1st.
- Student Question: If I graduated in May and my degree has been conferred, when will I receive my diploma? All diplomas will be mailed for students who graduated in May between June 15th and July 15th to the address you have on file at UC. If you participated in the May graduation but will be not be completing your degree until August, you will receive your degree between September 30th and October 30th.
- Student Question: When is the last day to drop a Summer A course without a WF grade on my transcript? We hope all of you are doing great in your summer courses but understand if something out of your control occurs and you are unable to finish your summer A courses. Student can drop a summer course between May 23rd and June 1stwithout a WF, you will receive a W on your transcript at this time.
Second email sent to non-FAFSA filing students to confirm Title IV eligibility 5/20/2020
Subject: CARES Act grant eligibility
On Monday, May 18 I sent you an email regarding your possible eligibility for the CARES Act grants we will be distributing to students next week. I have not yet received a response from you. Please respond to that email answering the questions in it no later than 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 21. If I do not hear from you by that time we will not be able to confirm your eligibility and you will be excluded from further consideration.
Best regards,
Beth
First email sent to non-FAFSA filing students to confirm Title IV eligibility 5/18/2020
Subject: CARES Act grant eligibility
Dear [Name],
As you are probably aware, the University of Charleston qualified to receive funding through the CARES Act, a portion of which will be awarded directly to qualified students to assist them with expenses incurred with the transition to online course delivery earlier this spring. With the data in your student file we have been unable to confirm your eligibility for Title IV financial aid which is a condition of receiving a CARES grant. If you would like to be further considered for the grant, you must reply to this email no later than Noon EDT on Wednesday, May 20 and answer the following questions. Any awards based on false answers to these questions will be subject to repayment, so please answer carefully.
- Are you a US Citizen?
- If you are not a US Citizen, are you a US permanent resident, conditional permanent resident, other eligible noncitizen, or a citizen of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia? If so, please provide your Alien Registration Number (ARN) in your email reply.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Stay safe and healthy!
Beth
Student Update email from Virginia Moore 5/12/2020
Dear Students,
I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful week and are staying safe!!
In today’s FAQ’s I have included a student question that I have received many times over the past few days as well as a reminder of contact emails in case you have questions while UC is working remotely.
FAQ’s for today:
- Student Question- Will UC be distributing CARES act grand funds to students? The short answer is “yes!” UC recently gained access to its allocation of CARES Act funding which includes monies to be distributed directly to students to assist with the expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus and the university’s switch to online instruction for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester. We are currently working on determining students’ eligibility as defined by the Department of Education. Students who were enrolled in 100% online programs and are not Title IV aid eligible (see details below) are not eligible for these grant funds. Additional information will be forthcoming early next week.
Title IV eligibility requirements are as follows:
o Complete a 2019-20 FAFSA for the current academic year
o Have a valid social security number
o Be a US Citizen, national, a permanent resident or an eligible non-citizen
o If male, you must be registered for U.S. Selective Service
o You must have a high school diploma or GED or completion of high school in an approved homeschool setting
o You must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress
o You cannot be in default on a federal student loan
o You cannot owe an overpayment on Title IV grants
o You must have been enrolled for the 2020 spring semester as an undergraduate or graduate, degree-seeking student. (Non-Degree seeking enrollment will not qualify.)
Additional information will be forthcoming early next week as UC continues to monitor and review guidelines from the US Department of Education.