CARES Act Report January 10

The following information is provided to comply with the Department of Education’s Higher Education Relief Act (HEERF) Reporting requirements.

Report Date: January 10, 2022. This report is for the fourth quarter of 2021 (October 1, 2021 – December 30, 2021) and reflects the student portion of HEERF III funds only. Refer to the January 27, 2021 report for the final CARES (HEERF I) report and the July 2, 2021 report for the final HEERF II report. 

  1. An acknowledgement that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

    The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign signed and submitted the Funding Certification and Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education on April 15, 2020. The University agrees to use these funds to provide emergency financial aid grants to students. A supplemental GAN was received from the US Department of Education on February 26, 2021 that included the HEERF II funds. Another supplemental GAN was received from the US Department of Education on June 8, 2021 that included HEERF III funds.
  2. The total amount of funds that the institution will receive or has received from the Department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement [for] Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Student.

    $39,313,422 – HEERF III funds
  3. The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act as of the date of submission (i.e., as of the 30-day Report and every 45 days thereafter).

    $22,310,505 in HEERF III funds were distributed when the third quarter (July 1, 2021-September 30, 2021) report of 2021 was submitted.

    $221,050 in HEERF III funds were distributed during the last quarter of 2021 (October 2021-December 2021).
  4. 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)(1) of the CARES Act.

    56,257 (UIUC student enrollment by curriculum and student level fall 2021 report)
    https://dmi.illinois.edu/stuenr/class/enrfa21.htm
  5. The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

    This report includes only HEERF III funds. Emergency grants disbursed through prior programs are included on previous reports.

    19,039 Students received HEERF III funds as of September 30, 2021.

    5 Students who received emergency grants during the third quarter returned funds in the fourth quarter.

    182 Students received either an initial emergency grant or a 2nd emergency during the 4th quarter.

    As of the end of the 4th quarter, a total of 19,203 students have received a HEERF III emergency grant. It is possible for a student to receive an emergency grant in both the 3rd and 4th quarter.
  6. The method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

    HEERF III emergency grant funds were awarded to undergraduate students who meet the following requirements:
    Enrolled fall 2021 in a degree seeking undergraduate program
    • FAFSA on file with an EFC <$30,000
    • Award amounts for fall 2021 will range based on EFC. Spring 2022 amount will be determined based on funding availability:
      • EFC 0-5,846 (Pell eligible) – $1,100
      • EFC 5,847-15,000 – $900
      • EFC 15,001-30,000 – $750

        Undergraduate students who do not qualify for an emergency grant based on the FAFSA and/or have COVID-19 related emergency grants expenses above the amount awarded can submit a separate application that will be individually reviewed by a member of the Office of Student Financial Aid. The approved amount will generally not exceed $1,000. Exceptions to the $1,000 amount may be approved by OSFA on a case-by-case basis.

        Graduate students enrolled in doctoral or MFA programs may apply for a COVID-19 Doctoral Program Disruption (DPD) Grant in the amount of $5,000. This application process is managed by the Graduate College.

        Graduate and Professional students enrolled for fall 2021 who are experiencing exceptional financial need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic were eligible to apply for a COVID-19 Emergency Grant of up to $1,000. The application was available from August 23-September 18. A separate application process will be available for students enrolled spring 2022 who are experiencing exceptional financial need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  7. Any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

    Undergraduate recipients of the HEERF III funds were sent the following email:

    From: finaid@illinois.edu
    Subject: HEERF III Emergency Grant Notification
    Dear Student:

    We have awarded you an emergency grant from the University’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) III allocation which has been made available to the University through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). The emergency grant does not need to be repaid and has been applied directly to your University Account as “CARES Grant – Undergrad.” This grant will NOT be applied to any balance currently owed to the University. The amount of the grant and your current account balance can be viewed through self-service in the Account Billing Information tab at https://apps.uillinois.edu/selfservice/.

    These grants can be used toward educational costs and other emergency costs that arise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as tuition, food, housing, technology, health care (including mental health care), or child care. If you are in need of technology related items the “Shop By Major” link on the Tech Zone website provides information about minimum computing recommendations by major.

    If you are enrolled in direct deposit, your emergency grant funds should be available in your checking account in 3-4 business days. If you are not enrolled in direct deposit, please enroll as soon as possible. If you do not enroll in direct deposit a paper check will be mailed to you in 7-10 business days. If you have questions regarding your direct deposit information, or the refund process, you must contact the University Bursar via email at bursarhelp@uillinois.edu.

    If you have questions regarding your emergency grant, please contact us Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm at (217)333-0100 or email at finaid@illinois.edu.

    Office of Student Financial Aid

    Graduate recipients of the HEERF III Doctoral Program Disruption Grant were sent the following email:

    From: gradfellowships@illinois.edu
    Subject: HEERF III Doctoral Program Disruption (DPD) Grant Notification


    Dear Applicant for the HEERF III Doctoral Program Disruption (DPD) Grant,

    The Graduate College has approved your request for a $5,000 DPD grant that is funded by the University’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) III allocation, which has been made available to the University through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). We hope this will alleviate some of the burden you have experienced as a result of the pandemic.

    Your grant will be applied directly to your University Account, which can be viewed through self-service at https://apps.uillinois.edu/selfservice/. If you are enrolled in direct deposit, your DPD grant funds should be available in your checking account in 3-4 days. If you are not enrolled in direct deposit, a paper check will be mailed to you in 7-10 days. If you have questions regarding your direct deposit information, or the refund process, you must contact the University Bursar via email at bursarhelp@uillinois.edu.

    If you have any questions regarding your DPD Grant, please contact the Graduate College’s Business & Fellowship Processing Office at gradfellowships@illinois.edu.

    We send you our best wishes for safety and good health.

    Sincerely,

    The Graduate College

    Graduate recipients of the COVID-19 Emergency Grant were sent the following email:
    From: finaid@illinois.edu
    Subject: HEERF III Emergency Grant Notification


    Dear Student:

    We have awarded you an emergency grant from the University’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) III allocation which has been made available to the university through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP). The emergency grant does not need to be repaid and has been applied directly to your University Account as “CARES Grant – Graduate.” This grant will NOT be applied to any balance currently owed to the University. The amount of the grant and your current account balance can be viewed through self-service at https://apps.uillinois.edu/selfservice/.

    These grants can be used toward educational costs and other emergency costs that arise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care.

    If you are enrolled in direct deposit, your emergency grant funds should be available in your checking account in 3-4 days. If you are not enrolled in direct deposit, please enroll as soon as possible. If you do not enroll in direct deposit a paper check will be mailed to you in 7-10 days.

    If you have questions regarding your emergency grant, please contact us Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm at (217)333-0100 or email at finaid@illinois.edu.

    Office of Student Financial Aid