Applications for college’s COVID relief fund open until March 15
During previous waves of CARES Act funding, students have been able to request up to $2,000 dollars. This most recent wave, however, not only resulted in students get less than what was requested, but was also the final wave of CARES Act funding at New College.

Applications for college’s COVID relief fund open until March 15

On Dec. 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) was signed into law and authorized $22.9 billion in COVID-19 relief funding for higher education. These funds can be used for anything from “student’s cost of attendance [to] emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus,” as said by Vice President for Finance & Administration Chris Kinsley in an email from Feb. 26. Much like the CARES Act, New College is allowing students to apply for funds under the CRRSAA of $1,000 or less.

The CRRSAA application—which can be found in the email Kinsley sent to the student list—gives students the option to request funding for categories including meals, housing, technology, general health care—including mental health care—child care and unanticipated travel. Students also have the option to allocate their requested funds to pay off student debt. In order to apply, students must be registered with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.

When determining how funding will be allocated, Pell Grant students will be prioritized. From there, a committee will evaluate all other applications with the condition that “need must be based on the impact of COVID-19 caused by disruption of campus operations.”

In addition, new legislation has proposed $1,400 stimulus checks which, if passed, will allow adult dependents of 17 or older to be eligible. If passed, deposits could start arriving as soon as late March.

The CRRSAA application period runs from March 1 to March 15. Until then, further questions should be directed to caresact@ncf.edu.

Leave a Reply