Mississipppi College
Report on CARES ACT
Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund – Grants to Students
(Updated Fund Report) August 24, 2020
General Information
Mississippi College (the “Institution”) acknowledges that the Institution signed and returned to the US Department of Education the Funding Certification and Agreement for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund – Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the CARES Act. The Institution intends to use no less than 50% of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
The total amount allocated to the Institution for the purpose of providing these Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students is $1,505,713. The Institution received a Grant Award Notification (Notification P425E200350) from the US Department of Education dated April 27, 2020 for that amount.
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 this report (8.24.2020) is $1,327,351, leaving an undistributed balance of $178,362.
The 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 is 3,595.
The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant under Section 18004(a)(1) as of the date of this report (7.10.2020) is 1,586.
Method Used to Determine Which Students Received Grant Funds
The Institution formed a Student Emergency Aid Review Committee (made up of faculty and staff) to develop a method for distribution and allocation of the Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students. The Committee decided to prioritize the students with the greatest need first by allocating $1000 to each Pell-eligible student who was living on-campus during the Spring 2020 semester and $750 to each Pell-eligible student who lived off-campus during the Spring 2020 semester. Through that allocation to the neediest of students, the Institution awarded a total of $1,052,250 on 5.13.2020 to 1,261 students.
After the Pell-eligible students were addressed, the Committee decided to allocate the remaining funds through an online application process. Eligible students were notified of the availability of the grant funds via social media and our website and were encouraged to apply. Using this method, the Institution has awarded (as of the date of this report) an additional $275,101 to 325 students. This group of students received grants ranging from $200 to $1000 based on the amount requested on the application. In an effort to reach the greatest number of students, the Committee has thus far limited the amount awarded per student to no more than $1000.
Communication to Students
The Institution has communicated guidance to students concerning these Emergency Financial Aid Grants in a number of ways. Our website includes Frequently Asked Questions that address the availability of these funds, who is eligible and the type of expenses that can be covered. In addition, we communicated to each student that received a grant the following language:
- The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) established a Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to provide funding to colleges and universities. At least half of the money is to be used to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. Eligible expenses include food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care. Because these are intended to be emergency aid funds, the entirety of the amount applied to your account will be available to you to cover eligible expenses as defined above.
Report Submission Requirements
The initial report for this grant was posted on the university’s website on May 26, 2020 with the first follow-up report 45 days after the date of the initial report (July 10, 2020). This report satisfies the requirements for the second follow-up report 45 days later, as required by the US Department of Education. The next report will be posted 45 days from the date of this report on October 8, 2020.
