The ARP is the third stream of funding appropriated for Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. Taken together, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), and the ARP, are referred to as HEERF I, HEERF II, and HEERF III, respectively.
Whittier College received its final grant of $2,523,096 from the Student Aid Portion of HEERF III in 2021 and completed all disbursements in 2022. Emergency financial aid grants could be used by students for any component of their cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care. Students determined how they used their emergency financial aid grant within the allowable uses. Whittier College certifies that it disbursed its HEERF III Student Aid funds directly to students prioritizing those with exceptional need as required by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
That includes citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylum seekers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, other DREAMers, and similar undocumented students. International students may also receive HEERF. Institutions must ensure that funds go to students who have exceptional need. The Department encourages institutions to prioritize domestic students, especially undergraduates, in allocating this funding.
Grant amounts were determined by the following factors:
Pell Grant Recipients
Non-Pell Grant Recipients
Students were notified of their HEERF III emergency relief grant via email to their poets.whittier.edu address. Students were required to complete the HEERF III Response Form embedded in the email to accept the funds and choose the delivery method. Students were given the option to apply their grant to their outstanding account balance.
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) is federal legislation that provides wide ranging financial relief to individuals and organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ARP appropriated over $39.6 billion to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) for institutions of higher education to serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whittier College was allocated $2,523,096 for this purpose.
ARP funds are in addition to funds authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), and the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Emergency funds available to institutions and their students under all emergency funds total $76.2 billion.
All HEERF III funds have been distributed. Students who met the eligibility criteria were directly notified by email sent to their poets.whittier.edu email address. The first round of notifications were sent the week of March 28, 2022.
Students were asked to choose the disbursement method they prefer. Whittier College offered three options:
Students were required to complete and return the HEERF III Response Form by the deadline provided in the email to indicate their preference and provide affirmative consent. Failure to respond resulted in the reallocation of funds to other students in need.
No, you are not required to repay any emergency relief provided through HEERF III ARP.
No. This is an emergency grant to help you manage unexpected expenses related to the coronavirus, and it will not have any impact on other financial aid you may be eligible to receive.
Recipients had the option to authorize the College to apply the HEERF III grant to their outstanding student account balance by completing the HEERF III Response Form.
No, HEERF student relief grants are not subject to federal and state tax according to the IRS nor can they be claimed as a deduction or credit “for expenses paid with the grant including the tuition and fees deduction, the American Opportunity Credit, or the Lifetime Learning Credit.”
Questions about HEERF III funding should be sent to heerf@whittier.edu.
Whittier College received $939,775 from the Student Aid Portion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II). Emergency financial relief grants for students could be used for any component of the cost of attendance at Whittier College or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care. In accordance with federal guidelines, Whittier College certifies that it distributed 100% of these funds under Section 314(a)(1) of the CRRSAA to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants directly to students with exceptional need.
The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need, such as Pell Grant recipients. To be eligible for CRRSAA funds, students were required to:
According to federal regulations, international and undocumented students were not eligible for CRRSAA funds. Ineligible students with emergency financial need were encouraged to explore Whittier College’s Emergency Funding and Assistance Programs.
To comply with the directive to prioritize students with exceptional need, Whittier College awarded grants to eligible students based on their Pell Grant Status, Graduate or Undergraduate Status, and Expected Family Contribution of $7,565 or less as determined by the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application. Students selected to receive a 2021 Scott Scholarship were excluded from consideration in order to provide meaningful financial relief to the greatest number of students this Spring.
Grants were awarded as follows:
Status & Expected Family Contribution
≤ $7,565
Students were notified of their CRRSAA emergency relief grant by email to their poets.whittier.edu address. Students were required to complete the HEERF II Response Form embedded in the email to accept the funds and choose the delivery method. Students were given the option to apply their grant to any outstanding tuition balance.
Student Emergency Relief Grants made possible through the 2020 CARES Act have been fully distributed. Support was offered for the following categories of expense:
This emergency student aid program was funded by a $939,775 grant from the U.S. Department of Education (PR/Award No. P425E202004). Whittier College acknowledges that it signed the Certification and Agreement and returned it to the Department of Education on April 13, 2020. The College further assures that of the total $1,879,550 received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, no less than 50 percent ($939,775) will be used to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Whittier College students.
According to federal regulations, students enrolled in at least one face-to-face course during the 2020 spring semester were eligible for CARES Act funding if they completed a FAFSA application for 2019-2020 or 2020-2021; or • Met the Title IV eligibility requirements including but not limited to: o U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen o Valid social security number o Registration with the Selective Service if the student is male o High school diploma, GED, or have completed high school in an approved homeschool setting International and non-U.S.-citizen students that did not meet these requirements were not eligible for CARES Act funding but were invited to apply to the Whittier College Emergency Fund for financial assistance.
The College conducted two rounds of funding from May 13 through June 3, 2020. The first round was conducted through direct outreach to students who received Pell grants for the 2019-2020 academic year in compliance with the Department of Education’s instruction to prioritize students with the greatest need. The second round was open to all eligible students. Applications were reviewed on a rolling basis. The College received 361 applications and awarded 352 grants totaling $182,824. Since the volume of requests was unpredictable, initial grants were capped at $575.
The application opened on May 13, 2020, and was due by May 20, 2020.
The application opened on May 27, 2020, and was due by June 3, 2020.
In order to equitably and expeditiously distribute the remaining CARES Act funds awarded to Whittier College as of July 1, 2020, Emergency Relief Grants were disbursed to all eligible students enrolled in Spring 2020 based on Pell status and Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as determined by the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FAFSA) according to the following five tiers.
TIER
EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION
GRANT CAP
1
$0-$5,542 Pell Recipients
$800
2
$0-$5,542 Non-Pell Recipients
$650
2b
$5,602-$24,999
3
$25,000-$49,999
$500
4
$50,000-$99,999
$350
5
$100,000-$999,999
$200
Students who received a CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant in Round 1 or 2 received a second grant up to the new grant cap. For example, a student who received an initial grant of $575 and qualified for $800, received an additional $225 grant. Students who already received a CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant that exceeded the new grant cap did not receive additional funds.
Students who had previously established with Whittier College had their CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant automatically deposited to the bank account on file. All other students received a check by mail.
Students with financial need who did not meet the federal requirements of the CARES Act, including international and undocumented students, were encouraged to explore Whittier College’s other emergency funding option.
