Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law. This act provided emergency funding in the form of emergency grants for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19. The emergency grant funds will be provided to qualified students to be used for eligible expenses that are currently under a student’s cost-of-attendance budget. These funds are to be used for food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and childcare. EVMS signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement in order to qualify for the Emergency Financial Aid Grant. According to the Allocation for Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, EVMS will receive aid, at least half of which EVMS will use to provide aid to qualifying students.
As of August 2020; EVMS distributed $46,060 to 17 students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act; and has identified 286 additional qualifying students who will receive funding in the fall of 2020. EVMS has an estimated 716 students at the institution who are or could be eligible to participate in the Federal student financial aid programs under Section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and thus are eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act if they incurred qualifying expenses.
The methods used by EVMS to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive is listed in the document Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund .