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April 2022 CARES Act Updates

April 10, 2022

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) 2022 1st Quarterly Report encompasses both HEERF II and HEERF III funding.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 included additional COVID-19 relief through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, also known as, HEERF II funding. The CRRSAA requires that institutions spend at least the same dollar amount on student grants as they were required to spend under the CARES Act. In addition, the allowable uses of funds are more flexible than in the CARES Act, meaning the funds may be used for any component of the cost of and emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus attendance [i.e., tuition, fees, housing, food, health care (including mental)]. Additionally, any unused CARES Act funds that an institution did not spend prior to December 27, 2020, may be spent in accordance with the allowable uses of the HEERF II Funds.

The University of Central Florida HEERF II allocation for student emergency financial aid grants totaled $25,535,625. HEERF III funding is authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP), Public Law 117-2, signed into law on March 11, 2021, providing additional financial funding in support to institutions of higher education to serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic. UCF received $79,272,544 in HEERF III funding to award as emergency grant funding. ARP funds are in addition to funds authorized by the CRRSAA, Public Law 116-260 and the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136.

Per federal guidelines, the university was not required to complete and return Certification and Agreement Forms for HEERF II and HEERF III funding as we completed and submitted that form for the initial CARES Act funding. No subsequent certification and agreement forms were required.

HEERF III Applications

Two HEERF III applications were made available to students beginning January 1, 2022, and closed February 10, 2022. One application was for domestic students and the other for international, DACA, and other undocumented students. Below is a summary for the number of applications received, awards made, and disbursements for the timeframe January 1, 2022, through March 31, 2022.

HEERF III Application – Domestic Student Awards 1/1/2022 – 3/31/2022
Total Number of Applications Received as of 2/10/2022 5,705
Number of Awards 1/1/2022 – 3/31/2022 2,145
Total Amount Disbursed as of 3/31/2022 $4,143,000 – Undergraduate Students
$ 270,000 – Graduate Students
$ 8,000 – Med Students
$4,421,000 – Total
Estimated Number of Eligible Students 71,778
Grant Award $2,000
  • 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) recommended but not required.
  • Degree seeking and non-degree seeking are eligible
  • Almost all students enrolled during any semester impacted by COVID-19 — since Spring 2020 — will be eligible to apply.
  • Students enrolled in Spring 2022 classes were given first consideration and all others will be reviewed and awarded based upon remaining funding.
  • Students in exclusively online programs are eligible.
  • International or undocumented student are eligible and will complete a separate application for further consideration.
  • Concurrent nursing students are eligible.
  • Students can apply for funding even if they have received funding from CARES and/or HEERF II.
  • Each eligible student can apply for up to $2,000 for either the Fall or Spring term. Due to limited funding, students enrolled in the Spring 2022 term were given first priority.
  • UCF students who are U.S. citizens, permanent U.S. residents or eligible non-citizens should complete this application.
  • International students and/or students who are classified as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) should complete this application.

The application asked students to select how COVID has negatively impacted them financially, thereby created emergency costs. Students were also allowed to select if they wanted the emergency funds to be applied to an outstanding balance.

A full review of HEERF III applications is done on a weekly and/or bi-weekly basis. SFA continues to review and select domestic student’s awards. UCF Global continues to review and select international, DACA, and other undocumented students. Awards are posted and distributed directly to students via direct deposit or paper check. Students are notified via their official UCF email accounts.

The instructions informed students of eligibility requirements for receipt of HEERF III emergency grant funding. UCF expressed a desire to have students that are eligible to complete the FAFSA to do so if they had not already done so. Students were provided information and instructions here. The HEERF III applications were also made available on the home pages of the financial aid website and UCF Global website: https://www.ucf.edu/financial-aid/ and https://global.ucf.edu/ respectively.

HEERF III Application – International, DACA, & Other Undocumented Student Awards 1/1/2022 – 3/31/2022
Total Number of Applications Received 2/10/2022 2,778
Number of Awards 1/1/2022 – 3/31/2022 603 – UCF Global
Total Amount Disbursed as of 1/1/2022 – 3/31/2022 $ 1,003,000 – Undergraduate Students
$ 132,000 – UCF Global Non-Degree
$ 80,000 – UCF Non-Degree (Other Career)
$ 1,215,000 – Total
Estimated Number of Eligible Students 6,052
Grant Award $2,000

As stated above a full review of HEERF III applications are done on a weekly and/or bi-weekly basis. SFA continues to review and select domestic students awards. UCF Global continues to review and select international, DACA, and other undocumented students. Awards are posted and distributed directly to students via direct deposit or paper check. Students are notified via their official UCF email accounts.

During this HEERF quarterly reporting period, UCF has disbursed $5,636,000 of HEERF funding as student emergency grants. $609,456 in HEERF II and $5,026,544 in HEERF III. The instructions informed students of eligibility requirements for receipt of HEERF III emergency grant funding. UCF expressed a desire to have students that are eligible to complete the FAFSA to do so if they had not already done so. Students were provided information and instructions here. The HEERF III applications were also made available on the home pages of the financial aid website and UCF Global website: https://www.ucf.edu/financial-aid/ and https://global.ucf.edu/ respectively.

CARES Act Updates