Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Reporting
Emergency Financial Aid Grants for Students
The following information is provided to comply with the Department of Education's CARES Act Reporting requirements. This information is limited to CARES Act funding and does not include grant programs utilizing institutional funds.
Reporting as of: September 30, 2020
Carnegie Mellon University submitted a Funding Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to the Department of Education that was approved and available beginning May 12, 2020. Pursuant to this agreement, Carnegie Mellon assures that no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(A)(1) of the CARES Act are being used to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
Carnegie Mellon was allocated $2,867,543 from the U.S. Department of Education pursuant to the Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under Section 18004(a) (1) of the CARES Act as of September 30, 2020 is $1,406,206.18. Carnegie Mellon will report updates each quarter, as awarding of Emergency Financial Aid Grant to Students continues.
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)(a) of the CARES Act is 6,200. Such estimate is based on the number of students who have submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) consistent with the Title IV eligibility methodology announced in the U.S. Department of Education’s "Eligibility of Students at Institutions of Higher Education for Funds Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act" final rule, published in the Federal Register on June 17, 2020 (the "Final Rule"). (In the Reporting of June 11, 2020, the estimated number of eligible students was 8,809, which was based on a Title IV eligibility interpretation made prior to the publication of the Final Rule.)
The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to Students under Section 18004(a) (1) of the CARES Act is 2,082. Carnegie Mellon will continue to award emergency grants until all allocated funds are exhausted.
Carnegie Mellon has established an application process for students to request funds for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. As defined in Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, this includes cost of attendance items such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses. The application is available to all students, and the goal is to reach as many eligible students as possible with the funds available. Award amounts are determined by Carnegie Mellon based upon a review of the student emergency grant application and students demonstrated financial need from their FAFSA. Award amounts are distributed on a tiered approach to assist those students who are most in need. Generally, students receive between $500 and $1,000 in grants. As of September 30, 2020, the average amount awarded to a student is $675. The award process continues to evolve as Carnegie Mellon studies the financial needs of the students who apply for grants, and the remaining funds available for distribution.
Carnegie Mellon announced the availability of emergency grants in a message sent to all enrolled students on June 9, 2020. Additionally, the university amplified awareness to our student body by adding links to the Financial Assistance Related to COVID-19 page across a number of our student-focused websites. All notifications indicated that funds may be used for allowable expenses such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care expenses.
Carnegie Mellon students can visit the Student Financial Services COVID-19 Assistance webpage for additional information and specific guidance regarding Emergency Financial Aid Grants, including eligibility requirements and directions for submitting an application.
Institutional Portion
The following information is provided to comply with the U.S. Department of Education's CARES Act reporting requirements for the institutional portion of the HEERF formula grants authorized under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act and received by Carnegie Mellon (the “Institutional Portion”).
Reporting as of: October 30, 2020
Carnegie Mellon submitted a Funding Certification and Agreement for the Institutional Portion to the U.S. Department of Education (the “Agreement”). The Agreement provides, among things, that pursuant to Section 18004(c) of the CARES Act, Carnegie Mellon may use up to 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to cover any costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus so long as such costs do not include payment to contractors for the provision of pre-enrollment recruitment activities, including marketing and advertising; endowments; or capital outlays associated with facilities related to athletics, sectarian instruction, or religious worship (the “Institutional Costs”).
The Institutional Portion allocated to Carnegie Mellon under the Agreement is $2,867,543, and was made available for use beginning on July 23, 2020.
The total amount of Institutional Costs drawn from the Institutional Portion as of October 30, 2020 is $571,078.72. These Institutional Costs include $269,726 for several enhancements to the student information system that were required to support the significant changes in the delivery of instruction, as well as $301,352.72 to purchase and install audio-visual equipment in classrooms to support the hybrid delivery model of instruction.
Carnegie Mellon has incurred additional Institutional Costs, but the transactions were not fully completed to support the drawdown for October 30, 2020, reporting purposes. Carnegie Mellon will comply with all reporting requirements related to the use of the Institutional Portion, including the submission of quarterly reports to the U.S. Department of Education.
