The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act (HEERF III) was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. The ARP Act requires the university to publish the following disclosures to explain how much funding we received and how we used it.
Emergency Financial Aid Grants
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Quarterly Report – March 31, 2021
- The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, also known as the Higher Education Relief Fund (HEERF III was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. As of March 31, 2021, we have not yet received our Federal Grant Award Notification to utilize the student and institutional portions of HEERF III funding.
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Quarterly Report – June 30, 2021
- The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, also known as the Higher Education Relief Fund (HEERF III was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. On May 17, 2021, ETSU received our Grant Award Notification (GAN) from the U. S. Department of Education related to HEERF III funding.
- ETSU will receive $15,844,071 (student portion) from the U.S. Department of Education to provide emergency grants to students.
- As of June 30, 2021, ETSU is still determining student eligibility requirements for HEERF III funding. Federal guidelines required institutions to prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Federal Pell Grants or undergraduate students with extraordinary financial circumstances. Institutions can also establish additional eligibility requirements. We anticipate identifying eligible students and awarding HEERF III funds after the Fall 2021 census date of September 5, 2021.
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Quarterly Report – September 30, 2021
- The following information is provided based on guidance from the Department of Education. This applies to Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF III) student portion only.
- The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, also known as the Higher Education Relief Fund (HEERF III) was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. On May 17, 2021, ETSU received our Grant Award Notification (GAN) from the U. S. Department of Education related to HEERF III funding.
- ETSU was allocated and received $15,844,071 (student portion) in HEERF III funding
from the U.S. Department of Education to provide emergency grants to students.
- ETSU had $17,860 remaining in HEERF I funding (student portion) which was spent with HEERF III funding.
- ETSU had $5,007 remaining in HEERF II funding (student portion) which was spent with HEERF III funding.
- A total amount of $15,866,938 was available for HEERF III funding (student portion).
- A total amount of $8,143,300 of HEERF III grant funds were awarded to 12,852 students.
- A total of $8,132,675 of HEERF II grant funds were disbursed to 12,839 students.
- A total of $10,625 of HEERF III funds awarded to 13 students enrolled in late start classes will receive their refunds after census for that part of term.
- Based on guidance from the U.S. Department of Education regarding eligibility requirements
and the allows of local flexibility, students must meet the following requirements
to be considered for HEERF III funding at ETSU:
- ETSU Undergraduate, graduate, College of Pharmacy and College of Medicine students enrolled as of census (excluding visiting and dual enrolled students)
- Priority will be given to students with exceptional need. Undergraduate students with a 2021-2022 FAFSA expected family contribution (EFC) of 5846 or less will be used to determine exceptional need.
- Undergraduate, graduate, College of Pharmacy and College of Medicine students with a 2021-2022 FAFSA on file with an EFC of 5846 or less will be eligible for the mid-range award.
- Undergraduate, graduate, College of Pharmacy and College of Medicine students with a 2021-2022 FAFSA on file with an EFC of 5847 or higher and those with no FAFSA on file will be eligible for the base award.
- Refugees, asylum seekers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, other DREAMers and similar undocumented students, and international students will be eligible for the base award.
The following chart represents a breakdown of how the student portion of HEERF III funding has been authorized through September 30, 2021.
CATEGORY
STUDENTS AWARDED
AMOUNT AWARDED
TOTAL AWARDED
Exceptional Need Award
4,224
$ 875.00
$ 3,696,000
Mid-Range Award
1,333
$ 600.00
$ 799,800
Base Award
7,295
$ 500.00
$ 3,647,500
TOTALS
12,852
$ 8,143,300
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Beginning, September 28, 2021, ETSU sent out direct deposit refunds to eligible students. For those students who were not signed up for direct deposit, refund checks were mailed beginning September 28, 2021.
- The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships sent the following communication to eligible students through campus email:
In response to COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act (HEERF III) was signed into law on March 11, 2021. The ARP Act included stimulus funding for colleges and universities to provide direct emergency cash grants to college students whose lives and educations have been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak.
The U.S. Department of Education issued guidance for how the funds should be allocated, and East Tennessee State University has determined you are a qualifying student and eligible to receive an emergency grant payment. No action is required by you to receive these funds. These funds will be applied to your student account with the full amount being paid directly to you. If you have opted to receive funds by electronic transfer, you will receive the payment via direct deposit. Otherwise, you will receive a paper check, which will be mailed to the address we have on file.
The university was required to sign a Recipient Funding Certification and Agreement to receive these emergency grant funds for students. The Agreement states these funds are “for the sole and exclusive purpose of providing emergency financial aid grants to students for their expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.”
ETSU degree seeking students who were enrolled as of census (9/7/2021) for the fall 2021 are eligible to receive an emergency financial aid grant from the HEERF due to being enrolled during the COVID-19 national emergency.
For additional information, visit our CARES Act FAQ.
Go Bucs!
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Quarterly Report – December 31, 2021
- Subsequent to the quarterly reporting on September 30, 2021, ETSU canceled 4 HEERF payments totaling $2,750. In addition, 4 students were awarded HEERF III funds for late start classes, which were subsequently dropped by the student before classes began. Those awards were canceled and total $2,625.
- As of December 31, 2021:
- A total of $8,137,925 HEERF III grant funds have been disbursed to 12,845 students.
- A total of $7,729,013 HEERF III grant funds remain and will be disbursed to eligible students enrolled in spring 2022 semester. ETSU anticipates to award/disburse these fund before February 28, 2022.
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Quarterly Report – March 31, 2022 - FINAL DISCLOSURE
- The following information is provided based on guidance from the Department of Education. This applies to American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act (HEERF III) funding.
- As of December 31, 2021, a total of $7,729,013 HEERF III grant student funds remaining.
- ETSU disbursed the remaining $7,729,013 in HEERF III funding on February 15, 2022 to 11,924 eligible students enrolled in spring 2022 semester.
- ETSU utilized $17,967 from the institutional portion of HEERF funding to cover spending overage for student grants.
- ETSU disbursed a total of $7,746,980 in student grants for spring 2022 semester.
Category Students Awarded Amount Awarded Total Awarded Exceptional Need Award 3,846 $930.00 $3,576,780 Mid-Range Award 1,312 $600.00 $787,200 Base Award 6,766 $500.00 $3,383,000 Totals 11,924 $7,746,980 - Subsequent to the distribution of all HEERF III funds, ETSU canceled 4 uncashed HEERF III refund checks from fall 2021 distribution totaling $1,974 and the funds were returned through G5 to the institutional portion.
Subsequent to the spring 2022 distribution, ETSU had to cancel HEERF III funds for 5 students, totaling $3,790, due to a change in their eligibility. The funds were returned through G5 to the institutional portion.- This is the final quarterly posting for HEERF III funds, as all HEERF III student funds have been distributed.