Wednesday, May 06, 2020

May 6, 2020
6:32 AM

This message is being sent by the Office of University Relations on behalf of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. 

Dear UNCW Students: 

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), which provides emergency funding to universities to assist students affected by the campus disruptions caused by COVID-19.  

UNCW has received HEERF funding and has established the CARES Act Emergency Grant Fund to distribute grants to eligible students who incurred unexpected expenses due to COVID-19-related disruptions. These funds may be used to pay for expenses such as housing, food, technology needs, childcare, medical expenses and other costs resulting from the campus disruption.  

Funds from the CARES Act Emergency Grant Fund are not considered financial aid and do not affect a student's current or future financial aid eligibility. Per guidance from the Federal Government, these grants will be distributed to our highest-need students as identified by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), beginning this week. For those with a direct deposit account, grants will be processed as such. The rest will be processed and mailed via check. A separate email notification will be sent to each student who is receiving funding. 

In addition to the aforementioned process, an opportunity to apply for CARES Emergency Grant funding will be made available in the coming weeks and will be communicated via email. 

The following eligibility criteria apply: 

• You must be/have been an enrolled graduate or undergraduate student for the term for which you are applying for the CARES Act Emergency Grant.
    
• You must meet eligibility requirements for federal financial aid; therefore, you must have completed either a 2019-20 or 2020-21 FAFSA. If you have not completed a FAFSA, you are encouraged to visit studentaid.gov and complete the 2020-21 FAFSA.
    
• Students who were enrolled exclusively in online coursework at the time of the campus disruption are not eligible.

 Students not eligible for CARES funding may apply for assistance from the donor-funded UNCW Student Emergency Fund, which has different eligibility requirements than CARES Act Emergency Fund grants. 

 Sincerely,

UNCW Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid