HEERF I, II, III: CARES Act, CRRSAA, & ARP Funding Information

How has the money been spent?

Overview: Federal COVID-19 Emergency Relief Funds for UAA Students

Common to all COVID-19 Stimulus and Relief packages, the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Act legislation contains the requirement for UAA to offer this assistance to the neediest students, therefore based on federal methodology, use of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is critical in determining need for those without anecdotal or documented proof of economic hardship.  As such, and as with the first CARES Act student tranche of money, UAA  apportioned this money in two separate and distinct means to make distribution as equitable as possible while meeting the spirit of the regulation for financial need.

The following funds fall under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund legislation:

Federal Legislation Title Date Signed Student Block Grants Dean of Students - Emergency Fund
Federal CARES Act (HEERF I) - Open to U.S. Citizens meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Mar. 27, 2020 $1,959,000 (71%) released to 2,447 students

$763,592 (29%) released to 406 students
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA - HEERF II) - Open to both international students and U.S. Citizens - SAP is not a requirement Dec. 27,  2020 $1,861,610 (68%) released to 1,417 students

$860,982 (32%) allocated (corrected figure)

FY21: $570,876 released to 322 students

FY22 - Period 1: $264,193.00 was refunded to 140 students from the HEERF II allocation by September 30, 2021.

FY22 - Period 2: $25,278.00 was refunded to 15 students from the HEERF II allocation by December 31, 2021.

 
American Rescue Plan (ARP - HEERF III) - Open to both international students and U.S. Citizens - SAP is not a requirement Mar. 11, 2021 $5,137,500(51.3%) of the $10 million new allocation has been released to 2,769 students. Second wave award details provided below.

 

$550,000 allocated

FY22 - Period 2: $213,236.22 was refunded to 116 students  from HEERF III allocation by December 31, 2021.

 

American Rescue Plan (ARP) HEERF III

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan was signed into law. This provided an additional $10 Million Dollars in emergency financial assistance to award to students for COVID-19 related hardships experienced on or after December 27, 2020. Similar to the HEERF II funds, the HEERF III funds must prioritize grants to students with exceptional financial need, such as those who receive Federal Pell Grants. Students did not apply for this award, it was posted automatically to student accounts and refunds will occur regardless of the status of the student account after add/drop. Students with uncashed checks after 180 days may lose eligibility for these funds. Any uncashed checks will be canceled and the funds will be reissued to eligible candidates in the next wave of student awards until fully exhausted.

On September 29, 2021, UAA awarded the first block grant of the 2021-2022 academic year for a total of $5,136,000(51.3%) to 2768 students based on the exceptional need requirement. *An additional $1,500 was awarded to a student on October 26th who should have been included in the block grant group but a technical issue prevented the FAFSA from being added to our system, which brings the total Fall 2021 semester block grant expenditures to $5,137,500.00. All awards were based on the following criteria: 

  • Fall registration, 3 or more credits, prorated based on enrollment
  • UAA or extended campus primary degree program or certificate
  • 2122 FAFSA received by date September 3, 2021
  • EFC zero to 2500 ($3000.00 full-time, $1500.00 part-time award)
  • EFC 2501 to 5709 ($2000.00 full-time, $1000.00 part-time award)
  • EFC 5710-10,000 ($1000.00 full-time, $500.00 part-time award)

Additional block grant awards will occur after the Spring 2022 Add/Drop deadline passes, with the bulk to be awarded to Federal Pell Grant eligible students, and a smaller portion of funds to be held for students who establish extenuating circumstances through the Dean of Students Office review process or through the UAA CARE Team.

UAA Student Emergency Fund

Under the CRRSAA / HEERF II wave of allocations, UAA was provided an additional $2,722,592 in emergency financial assistance to award to students, of which $1,861,610.00 (68%) was given out in student block grants in the previous academic year and a total of $860,982.00K(32%) was allocated to this program. This provided a mechanism, for those students who did not meet the greatest need criteria, to apply for assistance with qualifying expenses due to the coronavirus disruption. To receive assistance under this program, students submitted an electronic request form along with supporting documentation. Between July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021, a total of $860,982.00 (final report) was released to 447 students. 

Under the CRRSAA / HEERF III wave of allocations, $550,000 has been allocated to this program. Between October 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021, a total of $213,236.22 has been released to 116 students.

Both CRRSAA HEERF II and HEERF III awards are based on the following eligibility criteria:

  • UAA or extended campus primary degree program or certificate
  • Were registered between March 13, 2020 and any time during the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic years
  • Cannot be used to pay a UA bill directly unless specific request and signed approval from the student.

* Can include food, shelter, medical needs, transportation needs, childcare, equipment/connectivity access, communications.

The UAA Office of Financial Aid is here to help. To speak with a financial aid representative or to schedule an appointment, please call 907-786-1480, and select Option 4 from the main menu. 

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Institutional Funding Allocation

The University of Alaska Anchorage has received an institutional funding allocation of CARES Act funding from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $21,427,950 from CARES Act Section 18004(a)(1) and $1,672,598.00 from CARES Act Section 18004(a)(2).* As of the December 31, 2021 quarterly billing cycle end, these funds continued to have been used to provide additional emergency financial aid grants to students, reimbursements for tuition, housing, room and board, other fee refunds, or to purchase faculty and staff training in online instruction.

HEERF Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reports

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund - CARES Act Sections 18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion, 18004(a)(2), and 18004(a)(3)

* *This serves as acknowledgement that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, the full amount of the student funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. The estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, under ARP, is 11,150 based on our Fall 2021 unduplicated student population as of the census date, as provided by Institutional Research.