July 8 COVID Update: CARES Act

July 8, 2020November 4, 2020last updated on November 4, 2020 at 13:46 COVID-19

Federal CARES Act Institutional Share and Student Share Final Report:
Quarter ending 9/30/2020

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided The Citadel with $1.249 million, which is 50% of the total funds received under Section 1804(a)(1) of the CARES Act. The Citadel signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement of the CARES Act. These funds are targeted to give students cash to cover their expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and childcare.

The CARES Act grants were awarded to students based on guidelines from the U.S. Department of Education. To be considered, students had to be eligible for federal student financial aid as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and make satisfactory academic progress. Additionally, students had to be enrolled at least half-time in Spring 2020 in a degree program that was not exclusively online prior to the closure of campus. Approximately 3,600 students were included.

Following the federal government’s recommendation to prioritize students with the greatest need, The Citadel made the first awards to Pell Grant recipients of $1,758.32 which equaled 80% of the available funding. The second round of grants allowed students who did not already receive a CARES Act grant to apply for up to $1,000 in emergency grants. The final distribution of funds is awarded to students who did not previously receive an award and completed the FAFSA form with an EFC of less than or equal to 10,000. Awards were distributed as follows:

May 7, 2020 – 533 awards – $937,184 – Pell recipients

May 14, 2020 – 33 awards – $58,024 – Pell recipients

June 16, 2020 – 50 awards – $50,000 – Applications

July 8, 2020 – 316 awards – $204,370 – EFC<10,000

The second disbursement was awarded through an online application that was made available to all students. Sixty-seven applicants applied; fifty were approved for $1,000 each.

The Treasurer’s Office will issue the entire grant amount as a direct payment to the student. The grant will not be applied toward any outstanding tuition and fee balances. Checks will be sent by direct deposit if the student is enrolled in electronic refunds through Lesesne Gateway, or a paper check will be mailed to the student’s home address on file.