Schools eligible to receive funding from the CARES Act under Section 18004 are required to report information describing the use of CARES Act funds to the Secretary of Education. Click the link below to access CARES Act Required Reporting:
CARES Act Required Reporting (all reporting will be maintained online through May 15, 2025)
The CARES Act that was signed into law on March 27th, 2020, provided funding to schools through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). This fund requires schools to award emergency grants to students to help students with the expenses they have incurred related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.
We know that a lot of students are facing challenging financial situations due to COVID-19. These emergency grant funds are available to help deal specifically with the expenses coming from a disruption to MBU’s campus operations, and therefore are only going to be able to assist students in limited ways. MBU will distribute the funds to broad populations of students that we have pre-determined to have costs associated with the disruption of our campus operations. You will not need to apply to receive these funds, but we will also hold some funds in reserve for application-based funding.
Not all students who receive the initial disbursement of emergency grant funding are eligible to apply for additional funding. The Department of Education published a rule in the Federal Register on June 17, 2020 that limits additional CARES Act funds to students who meet Title IV eligibility requirements. If you have filed a FAFSA and demonstrate Title IV eligibility, please continue reading to learn more about the types of eligible expenses for which you can receive CARES Act emergency funds.
To ensure that any communication you receive about the CARES Act is legitimate, check that the sender is your school (mobap.edu) or the federal government (.gov).
Students and parents are cautioned to beware of scams connected to this emergency. The Federal Trade Commission issued a warning on May 27, 2020 alerting students to phishing attempts using targeted emails.
Eligible Expenses
Following are some examples of eligible expenses that a student might have as a result of the disruption to MBU’s campus operations due to COVID-19 circumstances for which the CARES Act emergency grant funds may cover:
- Technology (Laptops/Internet Access/Hot Spots)
- Course Materials (school supplies, books, desk, pens, pencils, notebooks, etc.)
- Housing (Rent/Utilities Assistance/Costs associated with having to move abruptly – e.g., moving/storage)
- Food expenses
- Travel expenses
- Healthcare expenses
- Childcare for dependents
- Other expenses related to your Cost of Attendance or course completion
Do note that all funding is finite, non-renewable, and we expect a large number of applicants, thus you may not receive the full amount of funds you request. If you received an earlier disbursement of funds without need of an application, this will factor into our consideration to provide you with additional funds.
Application Process
Students who were eligible to apply for additional funding because they had expenses not provided for in the initial, non-application based distribution of funds, and who met Title IV eligibility requirements could apply using an online application.
NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE: Students may access the application through this link, which will require you to sign into your MBU account. The application has less than 10 questions, which are mostly Yes/No questions to determine eligibility.
You will only be able to submit the application once, but the form should continue from where you left off if you accidentally leave the application before completing it. After submitting your application, a copy of your responses will be emailed to you.
Applications will be reviewed on a weekly basis and you will be notified of our ability to assist you soon after by an email to your student email address. Please allow 3-10 days for funds to arrive if you notify you that your request was approved.
Direct Deposit is the fastest means by which you can receive your refund. Follow this link for information on how to set up Direct Deposit.
You also have the option to receive a physical check. If you are going to receive a physical check, make sure you update your address(es) in MyMBU Access so that any funds provided to you are sent to the correct mailing address. Click on the Edit Profile button in the upper left corner below your name after you sign in.
Federal Department of Education FAQs about the CARES Act
To access the Frequently Asked Questions document prepared by the Federal Department of Education, click here.
Additional Assistance
We do not expect the CARES Act emergency grants to address every situation a student may have. If you or your spouse have lost employment or sources of income due to COVID, or if you are a dependent student and your parents/legal guardians were impacted in these ways, there may be ways we can adjust your FAFSA through a Professional Judgment review to seek additional financial aid from the government. If you have immediate needs for other types of support, please email Covid19response@mobap.edu or review additional information on our page for Financial Aid Information Specific to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak.