- ARP Required Reporting
- CARES Act Emergency Grants to Students
- CARES Act Required Reporting
- CRRSA Act Required Reporting
- CRRSA Act Student Fund
- Financial Aid Information Specific to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak
Financial aid resources are available for student who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Federal resources for financial assistance for food, housing, and bills can be found here:
https://www.usa.gov/covid-financial-help-from-the-government
IRS Guidance for Higher Education Emergency Grants
Quick take:
“Emergency financial aid grants under the CARES Act for unexpected expenses, unmet financial need, or expenses related to the disruption of campus operations on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as unexpected expenses for food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, or child care, are not included in your gross income.”
The Affordability Connectivity Program was created by the Infrastructure Jobs and Investment Act, and provides $14.2B toward the reduction of monthly broadband costs for qualifying households. The ACP will provide qualifying households a discount of up to $30 from a participating provider’s bill. Some participating providers are offering an additional benefit of up to a $100 discount off the purchase of computers or tablets if the consumer pays more than $10 but less than $50 towards the purchase of the device.
Households qualify for the ACP through participation in a number of public benefit programs – including the Federal Pell Grant program – or having a household income of up to 200% below the Federal poverty guidelines.
The ACP replaced the temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program, on December 31, 2021.Written or electronic confirmation from a student’s school that the individual is a Pell Grant recipient will serve as verification for the program, or a student’s financial aid award letter documenting the amount of their Pell Grant award received for the current year. A copy of a student’s paid invoice that shows the student’s receipt of a Pell Grant during the current award year, a copy of the student’s Student Aid Report, or a screenshot of your current year’s studentaid.gov dashboard showing Pell Grant received will all serve as proper documentation, according to the notice from the FCC. Students can access their financial aid award or billing statement through their myMBU. Students can access their Student Aid Report by signing into their FAFSA.
The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was expanded as part of the sweeping relief package to allow college students to more easily access the program, temporarily removing work and eligibility requirements for students — a change that will be in place for the duration of the public health emergency due to the coronavirus.
The United Way is maintaining a webpage specifically for those who are affected and need immediate help with finding food, paying bills, or other essential services.
You can find the foodbank nearest you on FeedingAmerica.org.
The federal government is keeping a list of unemployment benefits, healthcare benefits, small business loans, and other resources at https://www.benefits.gov/help/faq/Coronavirus-resources .
Students are always encouraged to seek out additional scholarship opportunities. We list outside scholarships here on our website.