March 31, 2021
To the Mason Community:
AV submitted the Certification and Agreement for the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) allocation for Student Emergency Aid on April 13, 2020, and received notice of the award on April 22, 2020.
Mason has used, or intends to use, no less than the $10,427,512 that will be received under this program.
The Department of Education has established eligibility requirements for students to receive grants from this program.
We estimate that since the inception of the program 27,551 Mason students met the government’s eligibility requirements.
Mason has the discretion to determine the amount of each individual emergency financial aid grant provided to Mason students who meet eligibility requirements. To do this, Mason developed a multi-prong approach to the grant disbursements.
First Round of Proactive Awards
Mason identified students with greater financial need based on existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system. Students who fully utilized the financial aid awarded to them from other programs and who meet certain criteria have been offered a CARES Act-funded grant. The awards were subject to the student providing a certification of financial impact related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus (such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care).
On May 8, 2020, we notified 4,554 students of award offers totaling $4.6 million. Of these award offers, 4,296 students accepted the offered amounts, completed an online certification of impact, and received payments totaling $4,344,371.
Second Round of Proactive Awards
Mason identified students enrolled for summer classes with greater financial need based on existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system. Students who had not previously received a CARES Act-funded proactive award in the first round were prioritized. The awards are subject to the student providing a certification of financial impact related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus.
On July 7, 2020, we notified 1,675 students of award offers totaling $1.7 million. Of these offers, 1,599 students accepted the offered amounts, completed an online certification of impact, and received payments totaling $1,636,100.
Third Round of Proactive Awards
Mason identified students enrolled for Fall 2020 classes with greater financial need based on existing FAFSA data in our Financial Aid system. Students who had previously received a CARES Act-funded award were not disqualified from receiving a proactive award in this round. The awards are subject to the student providing a certification of financial impact related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus.
On September 2, 2020, we notified 3,264 students of award offers totaling $2.9 million. Of these offers, 3,182 students accepted the offered amounts, completed an online certification of impact, and received payments totaling $2,874,700 as of December 31, 2020.
Student Application Process
Mason previously established a Student Emergency Assistance Fund, in which students can apply for grants to cover expenses following the shift in campus operations. Since March 27, 2020 (the date the CARES Act was signed), we have disbursed 1,874 awards totaling $1,569,313 meeting the criteria for CARES Act funding as of March 31, 2021.
CARES Act HEERF fully expended
As of March 31, 2021, Mason had fully distributed the $10,427,512 received under the CARES Act HEERF program. There were, however, 76 checks totaling $70,819 to students that were not cashed. After repeated attempts to contact students, these awards were cancelled and the funding transferred to the HEERF II program (see below) for future student aid awards.
This is the final quarterly report of the CARES Act funding.
Additional Student Emergency Funding
On December 27, 2020, the federal government enacted the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which included additional funding for the HEERF program created under the CARES Act (establishing the “HEERF II” fund). Mason is using $10,427,512 of the HEERF II funds for direct aid to students, (with another 70,819 added from remaining CARES funds). The majority of these funds have been distributed to students at this time. Emergency applications are still being considered for the remainder of the funds.
On March 11, 2021, the federal government enacted the American Rescue Plan Act which established the “HEERF III” fund. Mason is currently awaiting additional information from the Department of Education about the funding Mason will receive under this program. We expect the majority of the HEERF III Student Emergency Aid funding to be distributed in the next year.
Additional information about Mason’s administration of the CARES Act funding, including Frequently Asked Questions, is available on the university’s COVID-19 information page. All students received correspondence in May 2020 regarding the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds as included in our reports on , , ,and