CARES act

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Reporting

Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students 8/13/2021, updated 10/1/2021, updated 11/9/21 (HEERF III), updated 1/10/22, updated 2/16/22, updated 4/11/22, updated 7/7/22

What is the total amount of funds that the institution will receive or has received from the Department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement [for] Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students?

Berea College’s allocation from the Department of Education for students was $8,222,055 in emergency grants.

What is the total amount of ARP Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students? (remove ‘ARP’)

Berea College has distributed $8,222,055 to date to eligible students.

What is the estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965?

The number of Berea College students to receive emergency funding is 1,932.

What is the total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant?

Emergency grant funds have been distributed to 1,932 Berea College students.

What is the method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants?

Students with exceptional need were given the highest grants, followed by students with high need. Pell eligibility was also a factor in determining amounts to students. All students were given at least $400.

Were any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants?

President Lyle Roelofs update

Update for COVID-19 Day 778

Dear Bereans,

This is the campus update for Monday, April 25, 2022.

GREAT NEWS for students from the Student Financial Aid Office:

There will be funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP or HEERF III) released early next week for remaining spring term or summer expenses. While the funds will be released to you as in the past, they should be used for your remaining spring term expenses (student account) or upcoming summer expenses. As stated in the ARP legislation, students are to use these funds for Cost of Attendance items, such as housing, meals, books and supplies, child care, etc. These are grant funds and do not have to be repaid, nor do students have to provide receipts of expenditures. All students are eligible for these funds, including international and DACA students. Uses for things other than the stated purpose could be considered fraudulent use of federal funds.

May and Summer graduates will be receiving $650 from these funds in a couple of weeks. This, too, will be the last disbursement of this type.

The chart below outlines the amounts each student will receive based on need as determined by 2021-22 Expected Family Contribution (EFC) (does not include grad grant mentioned above):

Please note: As far as we know now, these are the last of the HEERF emergency assistance grants. There will be no more disbursements in the future (Summer, Fall, Christmas break, Spring, etc.). Unless there is new federal legislation, which is not likely, you should not expect more assistance through this program.

If you have questions about these funds, please contact us at finaid@berea.edu.

President Lyle Roelofs update

Update for COVID-19 Day 750

This is the campus update for Monday, March 28, 2022.

GREAT NEWS for students from the Student Financial Aid Office:

There will be funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP or HEERF III) released early next week for spring term expenses. While the funds will be released to you as in the past, they should be used for your spring term expenses (student account). If that is paid in full, then the funds can be used for summer start-up expenses. As stated in the ARP legislation, students are to use these funds for Cost of Attendance items, such as housing, meals, books and supplies, child care, etc. These are grant funds and do not have to be repaid, nor do students have to provide receipts of expenditures.

All students are eligible for these funds, including international and DACA students.

The chart below outlines the amounts each student will receive based on need as determined by 2021-22 Expected Family Contribution (EFC):

If you have questions about these funds, please contact us at finaid@berea.edu.

President Lyle Roelofs update

Update for COVID-19 Day 701

Dear Bereans,

This is the campus update for Monday, February 7, 2022.

GREAT NEWS for (some) students from the Student Financial Aid Office:

1) New, returning, and any continuing students who did not receive a HEERF distribution in early January will receive funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP or HEERF III) early next week for spring-term expenses. As stated in the ARP legislation, students are to use these funds for Cost of Attendance items, such as housing, meals, books and supplies, child care, etc. These are grant funds and do not have to be repaid, nor do students have to provide receipts of expenditures. All students are eligible for these funds, including international and DACA students.

2) If you took a loan for spring term housing and meals, contact this office at finaid@berea.edu to find out how to pay back the loan with these funds. If you have a parent payment plan or a payroll deduction for this term, you can make the payment with these funds when they hit your bank early next week.

The chart below outlines the amounts each student will receive based on need as determined by 2021-22 Expected Family Contribution (EFC):

3) Because the spring term began on-line, most students missed a week of work. Students will have their spring-term labor expectation reduced by 10 hours. However, knowing that students depend on these earnings, we have included an extra $75 in the funds above to help compensate for the loss of income. (If you already received your HEERF payment in early January, that payment DID include this extra $75.)

If you have questions about these funds, please contact us at finaid@berea.edu.

President Lyle Roelofs update

Update for COVID-19 Day 667

Dear Bereans,

This is the campus update for Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

GREAT NEWS for students from the Student Financial Aid Office:

1) Continuing students (students enrolled in 2021 Fall Term and are continuing into 2022 Spring Term) will receive funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP or HEERF III) early next week for spring-term expenses. As stated in the ARP legislation, students are to use these funds for Cost of Attendance items, such as housing, meals, books and supplies, child care, etc. These are grant funds and do not have to be repaid, nor do students have to provide receipts of expenditures. All students are eligible for these funds, including international and DACA students.

The chart below outlines the amounts each student will receive based on need as determined by 2021-22 Expected Family Contribution (EFC):

2) Because the spring term is beginning on-line, most students will miss a week of work. As addressed in the update last week, students will have their spring-term labor expectation reduced by 10 hours. However, knowing that students depend on these earnings, we have included an extra $75 in the funds above to help compensate for this loss of income.

3) In addition, students will not be charged for room and board for the week they will not be on campus.

If you have any questions or need assistance with your spring term bill before confirming, please contact Student Financial Aid counselors at finaid@berea.edu.

President Lyle Roelofs update

Update for COVID-19 Day 631

Dear Bereans,

This is the campus update for Monday, November 29, 2021. (I apologize for the length of this update but do think that everything included is worthy of your attention.)

GREAT NEWS from the Student Financial Aid Office:

1) Current active students will receive funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP, or HEERF III) early next week. As stated in the ARP legislation, students are to use these funds for Cost of Attendance items, such as housing, meals, child care, etc. These are grant funds and do not have to be repaid, nor do students have to provide receipts of expenditures. All students are eligible for these funds, including international and DACA students.

The chart below outlines the amounts each student will receive based on need as determined by 2021-22 Expected Family Contribution (EFC):

We hope the timing of these funds will assist students with their Winter Break (four weeks) costs.

2) Fall graduates will be awarded $650 to assist with their after-graduation start-up expenses, once the official list of graduates is received. Again, these are grant funds that do not need to be repaid.

If you have any questions, please contact Student Financial Aid counselors at finaid@berea.edu.

President Lyle Roelofs update

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Monday, August 9, 2021. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our new students, arriving on Saturday. Travel safe, everyone!

GREAT NEWS for students from the Student Financial Aid Office:

1) Continuing students will receive funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP, or HEERF III) early next week. As stated in the ARP legislation, students are to use these funds for Cost of Attendance items, such as housing, meals, child care, etc. These are grant funds and do not have to be repaid, nor do students have to provide receipts of expenditures. All students are eligible for these funds, including international and DACA students.

The chart below outlines the amounts each student will receive based on need as determined by 2021-22 Expected Family Contribution (EFC):

We hope the timing of these funds will assist students with their fall costs.

2) Summer graduates will be awarded $650 to assist with their after-graduation start-up expenses. Again, these are grant funds that do not need to be repaid.

If you have any questions, please contact Student Financial Aid counselors at finaid@berea.edu.

President Lyle Roelofs update

Dear Bereans,

This is the campus update for Monday, September 13, 2021.

GREAT NEWS for students from the Student Financial Aid Office:

Students new to the campus and students returning after having been out for at least one term will receive funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP, or HEERF III) early next week. As stated in the ARP legislation, students are to use these funds for Cost of Attendance items, such as housing, meals, childcare, etc. These are grant funds and do not have to be repaid, nor do students have to provide receipts of expenditures. All students are eligible for these funds, including international and DACA students. (Continuing students received this money prior to the beginning of fall term.)

The chart below outlines the amounts each student will receive based on need as determined by 2021-22 Expected Family Contribution (EFC):

We hope the timing of these funds will assist students with their fall costs. If you have any questions, please contact Student Financial Aid counselors at finaid@berea.edu

President Lyle Roelofs Update

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Monday, May 17, 2021.

Good News for Seniors from the Student Financial Aid Office:

The College now has access to the American Rescue Plan (ARP), or HEERF III, funds. We’d like to inform our June and August graduates that they will be receiving $650 from the HEERF III funds. (This support is in addition to the HEERF II funds that you were informed about in the Daily Update of last Monday.) Delivery should be by early next week. We understand that with graduation comes job hunting, moving, grad school, among many other things where this money can be used. Again, you are not required to submit any receipts or documentation of use of these funds. The SFA Office will be working with the Administrative Committee on how to disburse the remaining HEERF III funds to other Berea students over the next year.

CRRSAA (HEERF II) Financial Aid Grants to Students 7/9/2021, updated 10/1/2021, updated 1/10/22

Berea College’s allocation from the Department of Education for students was $1,758,138 in emergency grants.

What is the total amount of CRRSAA Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students?

Berea College has distributed $1,755,575 to date to eligible students.

What is the estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965?

The number of Berea College students to receive emergency funding is 1,395.

What is the total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant?

Emergency grant funds have been distributed to 1,395 Berea College students.

What is the method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants?

Were any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants?

President Lyle Roelofs update

Update for COVID-19 Day 631

Dear Bereans,

This is the campus update for Monday, November 29, 2021. (I apologize for the length of this update but do think that everything included is worthy of your attention.)

GREAT NEWS from the Student Financial Aid Office:

The chart below outlines the amounts each student will receive based on need as determined by 2021-22 Expected Family Contribution (EFC):

We hope the timing of these funds will assist students with their Winter Break (four weeks) costs.

If you have any questions, please contact Student Financial Aid counselors at finaid@berea.edu.

President Lyle Roelofs update

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Thursday, January 28, 2021. Safe travels for all students returning to campus over the next couple of days!

From the Financial Aid Office:

The College should be receiving the student portion of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA, December 2020) soon, another stimulus package to help with costs due to the pandemic. The Administrative Committee (AC) has approved a plan for disbursing the grants to students. Grant monies will be awarded to help off-set some of the January costs students may have encountered due to the College moving the start of the spring term to February 3.

The CRRSAA calls for funds to be used for the neediest students, so awards are being made based on Expected Family Contribution; however, all students will receive some grant monies. These grant funds can be applied to your spring student account or for paying on the January expense loans that some students received. Funds are not expected to be released until around February 12. The AC also approved a small amount of the grant funds to be used for summer start-up expenses (housing and meals); those grant funds will be released to eligible students in mid-May.

As with last year’s pandemic-related grant monies, the College will, again, fund the expense of those students who are not eligible to receive federal monies (international students, etc.) at the same level as federally-eligible students. More detailed information will be coming from this office tomorrow.

President Roelofs’s update

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Thursday, April 29, 2021.

Announcements from the Office of Student Financial Aid:

Questions about either of the above items can be directed to finaid@berea.edu .

President Lyle Roelofs update

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Monday, May 17, 2021.

Good News for Seniors from the Student Financial Aid Office:

Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students (6/11/20, updated 11/24/20)

Berea College acknowledges that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and provides assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

Berea College’s allocation from the Department of Education for students was $1,758,138 in emergency grants. The College has received the full amount.

What is the total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act as of the date of submission (i.e., as of the 30-day Report and every 45 days thereafter)?

Berea College has distributed $1,758,138 to date to eligible students.

What is the estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act?

The estimated number of Berea College students to receive emergency funding is 1,616.

What is the total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act?

Emergency grant funds have been distributed to 1,616 Berea College students.

What is the method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act?

The following is how aid was determined for Pell-eligible students:

Determine if a domestic student was residing in the residence hall during the academic year.

For domestic, non-Pell eligible students awards were made for miscellaneous expenses ($100).

Berea College President Lyle Roelofs sent the following information on the CARES Act to Berea students as follows:

May 1, 2020 Campus update

An announcement from the Financial Aid Office regarding the CARES Act – Berea College still awaits the federal funds:

The CARES Act stimulus package, approved by Congress, includes emergency funds for college and university students whose studies/lives were disrupted by COVID-19, closure of campuses and the shift to distance learning. Berea College has applied for this funding and hopes to receive monies later this month from the U. S. Department of Education.

Each school must determine how much funding is distributed to students based on requirements outlined by the Department of Education. Some of the factors that determine the amount each student receives as a result of leaving campus include transportation, changes in arrangements for housing, food, internet access, and utilities, just to name a few. Based on these factors, eligible Berea students will receive funding in amounts ranging between $100 and $1700. For many of you, the first part of the total payment (about 70%) should arrive to your bank account or by checks issued by the College. These payments will be made as soon as possible, following the College’s receipt of federal funds. You should receive the remaining funds later in the summer.

May 13, 2020 Campus update

Great news from the Department of Education:

As of this morning, we have received the CARES Act funding for students! Students will receive their amount awarded by direct deposit or check. Please remember that these grant funds were awarded based on estimated costs incurred due to the disruption in March, not any current costs you may have incurred. Since these are emergency funds due to a disaster, the amounts are not taxable to students (therefore no deductions will be taken) and do not have to be reported on FAFSA. Also, just to be clear, these are grants from the federal government passed along by Berea College, not loans; repayment is not expected.

Individualized amounts have been placed on student accounts and should be available to you on or around this Saturday, May 16; checks may take a day or two longer. For May graduates, you will be receiving 100% of the award; for August graduates, you are receiving 50% of the award; for continuing students, you are receiving 70% of the award. Balances of awards will be distributed later this summer.

Please note that Department of Education CARES Act funding is limited to US citizen students. Berea College, however, is providing grants according to the same formula from College funds for all students who do not qualify for federal funds.

May 15, 2020 Campus update

A message from Financial Aid:

Dear Students,

We understand that some students have questions about how the CARES Act funding was determined. I would like to expand on how the allocations were calculated.

I need to start by emphasizing that the CARES Act funds are for March and April expenses due to the closing of campus; these funds are not meant to either offset personal expenses or to supplement summer living or relocation expenses. This requirement was dictated to colleges by the Federal Government and not up to us. I need to add also that students do not need to account for their spending of these funds, but the College must report to the Department of Education how it disbursed the funds consistently with the guidelines.

Financial Aid and the Berea College Administrative Committee considered various approaches for distributing the funds. Part of the charge from the Department of Education for the CARES Act was to consider the neediest (those who are Pell-eligible) students’ unexpected expenses. Since 95% of our domestic students are Pell-eligible, almost all Berea students meet this test.

To determine relative awards, we had to develop a way to estimate the expenses our students may have incurred due to the disruption. Students who had to return home faced travel costs. And many of our students, who returned home, were then expected to contribute to food, housing, utilities, internet, and other living expenses in their family households. Every student likely had some miscellaneous costs related to the disruption. Taking these factors into account, here are the general rules we followed to distribute the funds:

Some students have also questioned why the college did not have an application process. Processing individual applications was not practical and would have resulted in long delays in disbursing funds. Ultimately, the only questions we could have asked were those that factored into the above and so this would not have materially altered the amounts provided for each student. Funding provided was based solely on the costs of the disruption that occurred as a result of the campus closing.

While we understand that this explanation will not be satisfactory for all of our students, we wanted to provide additional context for the decision-making process.

September 23, 2020 Campus Update

A message from the Financial Aid Office

After the Summer disbursements of funds to students, there remains a small amount of CARES grant funding available to be provided to eligible students. The Administrative Committee has agreed that students will probably need some extra assistance due to the longer Christmas Break (from three weeks in a ‘normal’ year to six-and-a-half weeks this year). While the awards will not be large, they will be released the week before Thanksgiving to all Pell-eligible students who are enrolled at that time. Students who are not eligible for federal funds, but have a ‘Pell-eligible’ EFC, will receive the same amount of funds as their federally-eligible counterparts; these payments will come from College funds, not from federal CARES Act funds.

These are grant funds to be disbursed; they do not have to be paid back nor are receipts necessary. Enrolled students who have a zero EFC, will receive about $285, other Pell-eligible students will receive about $175.

Please note that those students enrolled in distance learning are also eligible for these funds, if they are Pell-eligible.

Finally, you do not have to do anything to receive these funds; they will be automatically distributed to eligible students. If you think you are eligible and do not see the payment in your student account by Thanksgiving, you should email the Financial Aid office at finaid@berea.edu.

November 19, 2020 Campus Update

From the Financial Aid Office:

The final CARES Act payment to students has been applied to accounts and will be out to students by next Monday, November 23. Students with a $0 EFC are receiving $290; students with a Pell-eligible EFC greater than $0 are receiving $200. These are Federal government funds passed through by Berea College. For those students who are not eligible to receive Federal funds, but have a Pell-eligible EFC, the College has awarded monies from Berea funds in the same amounts. The monies are for student account, travel home, or expenses over winter break. This is a grant, not a loan. You do not need to submit receipts to the College.

February 12, 2021 Campus Update

Great News From Student Financial Aid:

The latest pandemic relief package, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), also known as ‘HEERF II’, includes emergency funding to students. The CRRSAA funds are to target the ‘exceptionally needy’ students. Based on a student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC), students enrolled (attending classes) at the end fall term and continued into spring term will receive a grant from these funds to help cover and/or reimburse January 2021 expenses.

The grants have been applied to student accounts and should be out to students by early next week. These are grant funds and do not have to be repaid. Students do not have to submit receipts for expenditures.

We also anticipate that at the end of Spring Term 2021, students enrolled will receive a small additional amount from these funds to help with start-up costs for housing and meals for the summer. Those funds would also be based on EFC.

If questions, please send an email to finaid@berea.edu.

April 29, 2021 Campus Update

Announcements from the Office of Student Financial Aid:

If the pandemic has caused a loss of income for families or individuals in 2020 from 2019, you may be eligible for a review of your 2021-22 financial aid package. An email from Theresa Lowder will be sent by Monday giving what the steps will be to apply for that review.

Funds for students from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), or HEERF II, will be distributed to students in mid-May. The amounts will range from $100 to $1200 based on EFC, summer course load, and graduation status. These funds are expected to be used for summer expenses (housing, meals, internet, etc., whether on campus or off campus), but students are not required to document how the funds are spent.

Questions about either of the above items can be directed to finaid@berea.edu.