May 15: CARES Act Reimbursement Eligibility
The Office of Finance shares information on federal stimulus funds available to students.
May 15, 2020
Dear Stonehill Students, Parents and Families
As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020, federal stimulus funds were approved to provide relief for higher education institutions and their students.
The CARES relief program requirements are intended to provide priority funding to Title IV eligible students, but the program also allows any student—including those not eligible for federal aid who can demonstrate financial costs associated with the transition to online learning—to apply for assistance.
Like other institutions across the country that have received CARES funding, the College has allocated half of its federal grant, $749,391, to assist students with COVID-19 disruption-related expenses including: food; housing (not including billed room and board); course materials; health care; childcare; technology (e.g., buying a computer to work online or internet costs); and transportation.
Guidance from the Federal Department of Education encouraged institutions to prioritize allocating more funding to students with the “greatest financial need” while disbursing the remaining funding as “widely as possible.” The College has acted in accordance with that guidance, and based on the size of our need-based population, the awards have been limited to $650 for federal need-based students and $250 for all other students.
All students are strongly encouraged to complete a certification form, through MyHill in the Financial Aid and Bill section, to request their CARES act funding, which requires validating the allowable expenses that they have incurred.
Upon review and approval of a student’s certification form, a refund check will be issued to the student and mailed to the student’s permanent address on file, or if a student has an active direct deposit record on file, a direct deposit will be issued in lieu of a mailed check.
For additional information, please review our CARES Act FAQs.
Sincerely,
William Smith
Assistant Vice President for Student Financial Assistance
Jennifer Mathews
Assistant Vice President for Treasury Management/Controller