Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) at ISU

CRRSAA HEERF II Emergency Relief Grants for Students - Spring 2021

Idaho State University (ISU) was informed of HEERF II eligibility under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) on January 14, 2021, and became eligible to distribute the funds after the HEERF annual report was submitted on February 8, 2021.  These additional funds were covered under the existing Certification and Agreement for the CARES Act HEERF funds signed April 24, 2020.  ISU has distributed its full allocation of HEERF II emergency financial aid grants to students ($3,548,920), which was equal to the initial distribution of HEERF I emergency financial aid grants to students. See details on how students were selected and the amounts and dates of the distributions outlined below. Another $9,545,592 was awarded to ISU for institutional use under HEERF II. Quarterly reports of ISU’s use of HEERF Institutional funds can also be found on this website as required for federal reporting [see section titled “HEERF (CARES/CRRSAA/ARP) INSTITUTIONAL REPORTING”].

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) provides emergency funding to universities to assist students in need during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, this funding was known as CARES Act Funding.

On 05/17/2021, ISU distributed Spring 2021 HEERF emergency relief grants to 7,502 students who met the eligibility criteria, totaling $3,551,650 (comprised of $3,548,322.50 in HEERF II student portion funding plus $3,327.50 in HEERF III student portion funding). The HEERF II grants at ISU ranged from $180 to $760 to eligible students for Spring 2021 (distributed May 17, 2021), which may be used to cover any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care.

Funds from the CRRSAA HEERF II Emergency Relief Fund are not considered financial aid and do not affect a student's current or future financial aid eligibility. The IRS recently announced that emergency grants provided to students under the first CARES Act and this recent HEERF II Act are not to be included in a student’s gross income and, thus, are not taxable.

Per guidance from the federal government, ISU prioritized students with exceptional financial need, which was identified through the 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 

Eligible students met the following requirements: 

• Must be an enrolled undergraduate or graduate degree-seeking student for spring 2021 (cannot be withdrawn) as of the date/time of the grant distribution. 
• Must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen as defined by FAFSA.
• To be considered for an award higher than the minimal award, a valid 2020-2021 FAFSA (all required verification documents submitted, if selected for verification) will be required.  Those who meet all other criteria, but have not submitted a FAFSA or have an invalid FAFSA or do not submit all required verification documents, will be considered for minimal awarding.

International students, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and undocumented students were not eligible. Additionally, ISU opted to exclude students who received employee/employee spouse/senior citizen discounted tuition benefits, non-degree-seeking students, and Early College/Dual Enrollment students.

The highest grant amounts were provided to eligible students who exhibited the highest financial need as determined from their FAFSA. Furthermore, emergency grant award amounts for students who were enrolled less than full-time were prorated accordingly. Please see below for the awarding methodology.

Spring 2021 Disbursements

Disbursement Date: May 17, 2021

Students can see their disbursement amount in their BengalWeb on the Student Finances page under My Account for the Spring 2021 semester. There is nothing recipients need to do to accept it. For those who have set up eRefund (direct deposit), grants were processed as such. The rest were processed and mailed via check to the mailing address that appears in the student’s BengalWeb. A separate email notification was sent to each recipient.

COMMUNICATIONS RELATED TO HEERF II EMERGENCY GRANTS:

• Email to Potential HEERF II Recipients who still need to file FAFSA or submit verification documents (February 19, 2021)
• Second email to Potential HEERF II Recipients who still need to file FAFSA or submit verification documents (March 3, 2021)
• Notice of Spring 2021 HEERF II Emergency Grant distribution sent to students receiving funds (May 17, 2021)

American Rescue Plan (ARP) HEERF III COVID-19 Relief Grants for Students – Fall 2021

Idaho State University (ISU) was informed of American Rescue Plan (ARP) – HEERF III eligibility on May 11, 2021.  These additional funds are covered under the existing Certification of Agreement for the CARES Act HEERF funds signed April 24, 2020.  ISU was allocated $11,582,087 for emergency grants to students and distributed its full allocation of funding for emergency financial aid grants to students as outlined below on September 8, 2021. Another $11,246,719 was awarded to ISU for institutional use under ARP HEERF III. Quarterly reports of ISU’s use of HEERF Institutional funds can also be found on this website as required for federal reporting [see section titled “HEERF (CARES/CRRSAA/ARP) INSTITUTIONAL REPORTING”].

Congress recently passed the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which provides COVID-19 relief grant funding for students enrolled in higher education. This funding under ARP is often referred to as the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III). This legislation requires that Idaho State University prioritize grant payments to students with the highest demonstrated need. These funds can be expended on anything related to the cost of attendance or educational expenses, such as daycare, food, housing, medical fees, etc.  On 09/08/2021, the Fall 2021 distribution of ARP HEERF III relief grants went to 8,432 students totaling $11,593,893 (including $11,578,759.50 in HEERF III student portion funding plus $15,133.50 in institutional funding).

The 2021-2022 FAFSA was used to determine student need. HEERF III payments to students varied based on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) calculated on the FAFSA and their full-time or part-time status at the time of distribution. Eligible students who did not complete a FAFSA or who did not submit all required documents received only a minimal payment. 

Eligible students met the following requirements: 

• Must be an enrolled undergraduate or graduate student for Fall 2021 (cannot be withdrawn) as of the date/time of the grant distribution. 
• Must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen as defined by FAFSA.
• To be considered for an award higher than the minimal award, a valid 2021-2022 FAFSA (all required verification documents submitted, if selected for verification) was required.  Those who met all other criteria, but had not submitted a FAFSA or had an invalid FAFSA or did not submit all required verification documents, were considered for minimal awarding.

ISU is opted to exclude International students, students who received employee/employee spouse/senior citizen discounted tuition benefits, and Early College/Dual Enrollment students.

The highest grant amounts were provided to eligible students who exhibited the highest financial need as determined from their FAFSA. Furthermore, emergency grant award amounts for students who were enrolled less than full-time received a prorated amount. 

Fall 2021 Distribution

Distribution Date: September 8, 2021

Eligible students who chose to have this grant applied to their outstanding ISU balance completed a HEERF III Opt-In Survey which was available on the “Home” tab in BengalWeb through September 7th. Students who opted-in had their funds applied first to any outstanding ISU balance. Excess funds (if any) were then refunded to the student. Students were not required to opt in. For students who did not opt in, the entire grant amount was refunded directly to the student, without being applied toward any outstanding balance.

Students can see their distribution in their MyISU on the Student Finances page under My Account for the Fall 2021 semester. There is nothing recipients need to do to accept it. For those who have set up eRefund (direct deposit), grants were processed as such. The rest were processed and mailed via check to the mailing address that appears in the student’s MyISU. A separate email notification was sent to each recipient.

COMMUNICATIONS RELATED TO HEERF III RELIEF GRANTS:

• Email to Potential HEERF III Recipients (August 16, 2021)
• Email to Potential HEERF III Recipients - 2nd Notice (August 25, 2021)
• Email to HEERF III Recipients (September 8, 2021)