HEERF Funding
Student Emergency Grants
The University of Mount Saint Vincent signed and returned the Department of Education’s Certification and Agreement for HEERF student emergency grants (initially funded by the CARES Act, and subsequently CRSSA and ARP) on April 11, 2020. In total via the three pieces of legislation, the College has been allocated $5,631,392 to exclusively fund student emergency grants. Through March 31, 2022 the College had issued $3,918,149 of those funds.
Through March 31, 2022 the College has issued Student Emergency Grants in three rounds. The first announced in May 2020, the second in March 2021, and the third in August 2021. In each round, a base award was set, and additions to the base awards were made with evidence of financial hardship due to the pandemic, including documentation of a change in household income or employment status, and unmet student account balances since the start of the national emergency in March, 2020. Checks were issued for student emergency grants in each round. Students were required to accept the award in the College’s information management system and acknowledge that the funds were for expenses that are part of the cost of attendance.
Round 1 | May 2020
On May 11, 2020 the College allocated emergency grants to 1,450 full time undergraduate students known to be Title IV Eligible. The number of students allocated emergency grants is the College’s known full-time Title IV eligible population minus 23 individuals, who were exempted because they were receiving full-tuition scholarships. The base grant for traditional undergraduates was $900, and additions up to $1,650 were made to the base award given evidence of need. Students in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program received an award of $1,540.
Round 2 | March 2021
Beginning March 2021, the College offered emergency grants to 1,413 full-time undergraduate students. Pursuant to the legislation’s prioritization of students with exceptional need, amounts varied based on assessment of need, utilizing information in each student’s FAFSA for the 2020-2021 academic year. Traditional undergraduate students with an EFC of $0 received a base award of $1,000. All other traditional undergraduates received a base award of $700. Based on the indicators of need, students with an EFC of $0 to $5,711 could receive up to $500 additional grant funds, and students with an EFC of more than $5,711 could receive up to $275 in additional funds. ASDBS students received a base award of $750.
Round 3 | August 2021
In August 2021, the College began issuing a third round of HEERF funded student emergency grants to 1,613 full-time students (consistent with prior rounds of HEERF funded grants, the College excluded students on full tuition scholarships and tuition remission). Students in the ASDBS program received a base award of $650. Traditional undergraduate students with an EFC of $0 on the 2021-2022 FAFSA received a base award of $850. Traditional undergraduates with an EFC of $1 or more received a base award of $600. Students with an unknown EFC (as of the award date) received a base award of $500. After the base award, unmet student account balances since the start of the national emergency in March, 2020 were used as an indicator of need. Students with an unmet balance and EFC of $0 to $5,811 could receive up to $400 additional grant funds, and students with an EFC of more than $5,811 could receive up to $200 in additional funds.
Institutional Funds
The College has received institutional HEERF funds to navigate the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic. The College submitted a final report for institutional funds appropriated in the CARES Act in Fall 2020 Those expenditures are documented in the Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting under CARES Act Sections Sections 18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion, 18004(a)(2), and 18004(a)(3).
The College continues to utilize institutional funds appropriated through CRRSA and the American Rescue Plan. Those expenditures are documented in the following reports: