CARES Act Reporting

Ohio University had $1,384,283 remaining in federal CARES Act funds. The university contributed institutional funds to the OHIO CARES Relief Fund to further assist students during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online application for fall semester 2020 opened on August 17, 2020 with a deadline of August 25. Students eligible to complete the application must have had a completed the 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); been offered federal financial aid for the 2020-21 year; be enrolled full-time for the fall semester 2020; and be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress criteria. Emails were sent to the following student populations encouraging them to apply. The population in the first bullet received a grant for the maximum amount requested with a cap of $500. The population in the second bullet received a grant for the maximum amount requested with a cap of $250:

• Undergraduate students with an Expected Family Contribution of 10,000 or less, graduate, and medical students
• Undergraduate students with an Expected Family Contribution greater than 10,000

The email below was sent to eligible applicants:

You are eligible to apply for an emergency grant through the OHIO CARES Relief Fund for the fall semester 2020. You can access the OHIO CARES Relief Fund application in your OHIO Student Center (upper right corner) through the current application deadline of August 25.

OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants, provided through the federal Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, assist eligible students with expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Eligible expenses may include food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care. To be eligible to apply, students must be enrolled full-time on one of OHIO’s campuses in fall semester 2020 and be eligible for federal financial aid. Federal guidelines indicate that students who are enrolled in an exclusively online program are ineligible.  

You are strongly encouraged to complete an application if you have incurred eligible expenses as described above. Your eligibility to receive a grant from this fund will be determined based on a review of your application and fund availability. Priority will be given to students with high financial need, demonstrated on the 20-21 FAFSA, and to meet students’ technology needs. Submitting an application does not guarantee you will receive an OHIO CARES Relief grant. Please allow the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships at least two weeks to process and review your application. We will send e-mail notification of your OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant eligibility to your Ohio University e-mail account. For questions, please contact financial.aid@ohio.edu.

Ohio University awarded OHIO CARES Relief grants September 11. The amount of each grant reflects the amount of expenses the student reported up to a maximum amount based on their population. All CARES funds have now been expended. Please see the status of grants awarded below: 

The final quarterly posting, as of October 10, 2020, is the final report that covers all remaining HEERF fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student Portion funds.

Ohio University received FAFSA applications for 21,779 students for the 2020-21 year.

2020-21 CARES Act Institutional Reporting

Ohio University received CARES Act Sections 18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion and 18004(a)(2) Strengthening Portion which requires quarterly reporting to be posted on this site. This report is due 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter apart from the first report which is due October 30, 2020.  This reporting starts with the September 30 report and will conclude when a final report has been posted.

Ohio University was awarded $9,737,716 in HEERF II funding. Funding was prioritized to students with exceptional financial need, as required by HEERF II guidelines. On March 9, 2021, Ohio University awarded 5,596 students automatic OHIO CARES Relief Fund/HEERF II emergency grants of $1,000 for the spring semester 2020-21. Students eligible for these grants met the following criteria:

• Undergraduate students
• Confirmed citizenship
• Pell-eligible
• Enrolled at least half-time spring semester 2020-21

Automatic OHIO CARES Relief Fund/HEERF II emergency grants awarded totaled $5,596,000.

The OHIO CARES Relief Fund Application opened March 15, 2021 with a closing date of March 28. The application was opened to 12,682 students meeting the following criteria:

• Undergraduate, Graduate, and Medical students
• Confirmed citizenship
• Enrolled at least half-time spring semester 2020-21
• Not recipients of the automatic CARES/HEERF II grant

Students were eligible to apply for up to $600 in emergency grant funds. The following email was sent to all students eligible to complete the application:

You are eligible to apply for an emergency grant through the OHIO CARES Relief Fund for the spring semester 2021. You can access the OHIO CARES Relief Fund application in your OHIO Student Center (upper right corner) through the current application deadline of March 28.

OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants, offered through federal funding provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) which was authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, assist eligible students with expenses related to the continued Coronavirus pandemic. Eligible expenses may include tuition, food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care. To be eligible to apply, students must be enrolled at least half-time on one of OHIO’s campuses in spring semester 2021 and have a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with confirmed citizenship status. Federal regulations require institutions to focus CRRSA funds on student with exceptional financial need.  

 You are eligible to complete an application if you have incurred eligible expenses as described above. Your eligibility to receive a grant from this fund will be determined based on a review of your application and fund availability. Priority will be given to students with exceptional financial need, demonstrated on the 20-21 FAFSA. Submitting an application does not guarantee you will receive an OHIO CARES Relief grant for spring semester 2021. Should your application be approved, any subsequent refund will be sent to you by direct deposit or paper check, if you have not signed up for direct deposit. To enroll in direct deposit, sign into your My OHIO Student Center and select the "Enroll in Direct Deposit" option from the dropdown menu.

Please allow the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships seven to ten business days to process and review your application, after the application closes. We will send e-mail notification of your OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant eligibility to your Ohio University e-mail account. For questions, please contact financial.aid@ohio.edu.

Students also received a text message asking them to apply. Below is a summary of applicants and grants awarded on April 7, 2021:

The OHIO CARES Relief Fund Application opened again on June 22, 2021 with a close date of June 27. The application was opened to 492 students meeting the following criteria:

• Undergraduate, Graduate, and Medical students
• Confirmed citizenship
• Enrolled at least half-time spring semester 2020-21 with outstanding balance
• Included all prior CARES/HEERF II grant recipients

Students were eligible to apply for up to $2000 in emergency grant funds. The following email was sent to all students eligible to complete the application:

You have been selected to apply for an emergency grant through the OHIO CARES Relief Fund to assist with your spring semester 2021 balance. Access the OHIO CARES Relief Fund application in your OHIO Student Center (upper right corner) through the current application deadline of June 27 at 11:59 p.m..

You can apply for up to $2000 in an emergency grant for eligible expenses including tuition, food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care. The application allows you to request that any CARES funds be applied toward your spring semester balance (up to a maximum of $2,000), which is recommended. If your application is approved and you applied for more than your spring semester balance, the remainder will be refunded to you by direct deposit or paper check, if you have not signed up for direct deposit. To enroll in direct deposit, sign into your My OHIO Student Center and select the "Enroll in Direct Deposit" option from the dropdown menu.

OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants are made possible through federal funding provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II), which was authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act. These grants assist eligible students with expenses related to the continued Coronavirus pandemic. Federal regulations require institutions to focus CRRSA funds on students with exceptional financial need. Your eligibility to receive a grant from this fund will be determined based on review of your application and fund availability. Submitting an application does not guarantee you will receive an OHIO CARES Relief grant for spring semester 2021. If you previously received an OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant, you may still be eligible to receive additional grant funds during this application cycle.  

We will send e-mail notification of your OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant eligibility to your Ohio University e-mail account by June 30. For questions, please contact financial.aid@ohio.edu.

Students also received a text message asking them to apply. Below is a summary of applicants and grants awarded on June 28, 2021:

On June 28, 2021, Ohio University increased automatic OHIO CARES Relief Fund/HEERF II emergency grants for 503 students by $1,400 for the spring semester 2020-21. Students eligible for the increased grants met the following criteria:

• Undergraduate students
• Confirmed citizenship
• Pell-eligible
• Enrolled at least half-time spring semester 2020-21
• Enrolled in any number of hours summer semester 2021-22

The increase in the automatic OHIO CARES Relief Fund/HEERF II emergency grants awarded totaled $704,200.

All HEERF II funds totaling $9,737,716 were awarded and disbursed to students by June 30, 2021. On December 17, 2021, there were four students identified who had not cashed their refund checks for HEERF II funds totaling $4,200. These students had checks reissued twice and were contacted by either phone or email with no response. The funds to the four students were canceled and reversed. Three students with a zero EFC who had not received HEERF III funds for fall semester 21-22 were each awarded $1,400 in block grants to spend the reversed HEERF II funds.

Ohio University was awarded $27,189,887 in HEERF III funds for emergency grants to students through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Funding was prioritized to students with exceptional financial need, as required by HEERF III guidelines. On August 19, 2021, Ohio University offered automatic OHIO CARES Relief Fund/HEERF III emergency grants of $1,200 to students meeting the following criteria:

• Undergraduate, graduate, medical students
• EFC range between 0 and 5,845
• Enrolled at least half-time summer semester 2021-22
• Summer semester balance

Students were texted and sent the following email:

You have been selected to receive an emergency grant of $1,200 through the OHIO CARES Relief Fund to assist with your summer semester 2021 balance. To have this $1,200 grant apply toward your summer balance, respond to financial.aid@ohio.edu by Saturday, August 21.  

If you respond by Saturday, August 21, your OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant of $1,200 will apply toward your summer semester balance. If your balance is less than $1,200, the remainder will be refunded to you by direct deposit or paper check, if you have not signed up for direct deposit. To enroll in direct deposit, sign into your My OHIO Student Center and select the "Enroll in Direct Deposit" option from the dropdown menu. 
 
OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants are made possible through federal funding provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), which was authorized by the American Rescue Act (ARP). These grants assist eligible students with expenses related to the continued Coronavirus pandemic. Federal regulations require institutions to focus ARP funds on students with exceptional financial need. 

Automatic OHIO CARES Relief Fund/HEERF III emergency grants were awarded to 167 students. Disbursements totaled $218,400.

On October 1, 2021, Ohio University offered automatic OHIO CARES Relief Fund/HEERF III emergency grants of $1,500 to 7,376 students meeting the following criteria:

• Undergraduate, graduate, medical students
• EFC range between 0 and 5,845
• Enrolled at least half-time fall semester 2021-22

Students were texted and sent the following email:

You have been selected to receive an emergency grant of $1,500 through the OHIO CARES Relief Fund. If you have a fall semester balance, this $1,500 grant can apply toward this balance, by completing the CARES Grant Questionnaire within your OHIO Student Center by Thursday, October 7 at midnight.  

If you complete the questionnaire by Thursday, October 7, you can choose to have your OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant of $1,500 apply toward any remaining fall semester balance you may have. If you do not have a balance or your balance is less than $1,500, the remainder will be refunded to you by direct deposit or paper check, if you have not signed up for direct deposit. To enroll in direct deposit, sign into your OHIO Student Center and select the "Enroll in Direct Deposit" option from the dropdown menu. OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants will be awarded by Thursday, October 14 regardless of completion of the questionnaire.
 
OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants are made possible through federal funding provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), which was authorized by the American Rescue Act (ARP). These grants assist eligible students with expenses related to the continued Coronavirus pandemic. Federal regulations require institutions to focus ARP funds on students with exceptional financial need.

Automatic CARES Relief grants were awarded to 7,356 students who remained enrolled on October 11 for fall semester. Awards totaled $11,034,000.

On November 5, 2021, Ohio University offered automatic OHIO CARES Relief Fund/HEERF III emergency grants of $1,500 to an additional 306 students meeting the following criteria:

• Undergraduate, graduate, medical students
• EFC range between 0 and 5,845
• Enrolled at least half-time fall semester 2021-22

Students were texted and sent the same email as above. Grants totaling $459,000 were awarded to these students between November 5 and November 15. 

Additionally, on November 5, 2021, the OHIO CARES Relief Fund Application was opened to any student whose FAFSA was received by November 5 who were not awarded an automatic emergency grant for fall semester 2021-22. The application deadline was extended from November 14 through November 16 at midnight. Students were sent a text message and two emails, as follows: 

You have been selected to apply for an emergency grant through the OHIO CARES Relief Fund. Access the OHIO CARES Relief Fund application in your OHIO Student Center (upper right corner) through the current application deadline of Sunday, November 14 at midnight.

You can apply for up to $1,000 in an emergency grant for eligible expenses including tuition, food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care. The application allows you to request that any CARES funds be applied toward your fall semester balance (up to a maximum of $1,000), which is recommended. If your application is approved and you applied for more than your fall semester balance, the remainder will be refunded to you by direct deposit or paper check, if you have not signed up for direct deposit. To enroll in direct deposit, sign into your My OHIO Student Center and select the "Enroll in Direct Deposit" option from the dropdown menu. 
 
OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants are made possible through federal funding provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), which was authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP). These grants assist eligible students with expenses related to the continued Coronavirus pandemic. Federal regulations require institutions to focus ARP funds on students with exceptional financial need. Your eligibility to receive a grant from this fund will be determined based on review of your application and fund availability. Submitting an application does not guarantee you will receive an OHIO CARES Relief grant for fall semester 2021. If you previously received an OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant, you may still be eligible to receive additional grant funds during this application cycle.

We will send email notification of your OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant eligibility to your Ohio University email account by November 19. If you have questions, please contact financial.aid@ohio.edu.

The first round of awards from the application were posted on November 15 to the 3,989 students with submitted applications. Award amounts vary based on the amount requested by the student in the application. Awards totaled $3,863,669.

The second round of awards from the application were posted on November 17 to the additional 939 students who submitted an application. Award amounts vary based on amount requested. Awards totaled $906,695.

On December 3, 2021, the OHIO CARES Relief Fund Application was opened to any student enrolled at least half-time who were not awarded a CARES grant for fall semester 2021-22. The application deadline was December 15 at midnight. Students were sent a text message and the following email:

You have been selected to apply for an emergency grant through the OHIO CARES Relief Fund. Access the OHIO CARES Relief Fund application in your OHIO Student Center (upper right corner) through the current application deadline of Tuesday, December 14 at midnight.

You can apply for up to $1,000 in an emergency grant for eligible expenses including tuition, food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care. The application allows you to request that any CARES funds be applied toward your fall semester balance (up to a maximum of $1,000), which is recommended. If your application is approved a refund will be issued. For those students who have requested the approved amount to be applied to a fall semester balance, a refund will be issued for the excess. For students who are enrolled in direct deposit, your refund will be issued to your designated bank account. For students who are not enrolled in direct deposit your refund will be mailed to your address of record. To enroll in direct deposit, sign into your OHIO Student Center and select the "Enroll in Direct Deposit" option from the dropdown menu under the Finances section. If you do not sign up for direct deposit, make sure your address is up to date to receive your check over winter break.

OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants are made possible through federal funding provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), which was authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP). These grants assist eligible students with expenses related to the continued Coronavirus pandemic. Federal regulations require institutions to focus ARP funds on students with exceptional financial need. Your eligibility to receive a grant from this fund will be determined based on review of your application and fund availability. Submitting an application does not guarantee you will receive an OHIO CARES Relief grant for fall semester 2021. If you previously received an OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant, you may still be eligible to receive additional grant funds during this application cycle.

The first round of awards from the application were posted on December 13 to the 2,908 students with submitted applications. Award amounts vary based on the amount requested by the student in the application. Awards totaled $2,817,460.

The second round of awards from the application were posted on December 15 to the additional 689 students who submitted an application. Award amounts vary based on amount requested. Awards totaled $667,210.

On March 11, 2022, Ohio University identified 7,053 students eligible to receive an automatic OHIO CARES Relief Fund/HEERF III emergency grant of $1,000. These students met the following criteria:

• Undergraduate, graduate, medical students
• EFC range between 0 and 5,845
• Enrolled at least half-time spring semester 2021-22

There were 1,645 students in this pool with an outstanding balance for spring semester. These students received the following email:

You have been selected to receive an emergency grant of $1,000 through the OHIO CARES Relief Fund. If you have a spring semester balance, this $1,000 grant can apply toward this balance, by completing the CARES Grant Questionnaire within your OHIO Student Center by Monday, March 21 at midnight. 

If you complete the questionnaire by Monday, March 21, you can choose to have your OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant of $1,000 apply toward any remaining spring semester balance you may have. If you do not have a balance or your balance is less than $1,000, the remainder will be refunded to you by direct deposit or paper check, if you have not signed up for direct deposit. To enroll in direct deposit, sign into your OHIO Student Center and select the "Enroll in Direct Deposit" option from the dropdown menu. OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants will be awarded by Monday, March 28 regardless of completion of the questionnaire.
 
OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants are made possible through federal funding provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), which was authorized by the American Rescue Act (ARP). These grants assist eligible students with expenses related to the continued Coronavirus pandemic. Federal regulations require institutions to focus ARP funds on students with exceptional financial need. 

These students will be awarded by March 28 based on their specific answers to the questionnaire or based on non-completion.

The remaining 5,408 students were awarded $1,000 refundable CARES grants for spring semester, which disbursed on March 15, totaling $5,408,000.

On March 22, 2022, the remaining 1,645 students were awarded $1,000 OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants totaling $1,645,000. Of these students, 605 requested funds to be applied toward their spring account balance. 

On April 19, 2022, the OHIO CARES Relief Fund application opened. The application was made available to students who reached out to our office requesting CARES funds to assist with continuing expenses related to the Coronavirus pandemic. The following email was sent to 149 students who contacted our office.

You have been selected to apply for an emergency grant through the OHIO CARES Relief Fund. Access the OHIO CARES Relief Fund application in your OHIO Student Center (upper right corner) through the current application deadline of Thursday, April 28 at midnight.

You can apply for up to $1,500 in an emergency grant for eligible expenses including tuition, food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care. The application allows you to request that CARES funds be applied toward your spring semester balance (up to a maximum of $1,500), if applicable, which is recommended. If your application is approved and you applied for more than your spring semester balance, the remainder will be refunded to you by direct deposit or paper check, if you have not signed up for direct deposit. To enroll in direct deposit, sign into your My OHIO Student Center and select the "Enroll in Direct Deposit" option from the dropdown menu. 
 
OHIO CARES Relief Fund grants are made possible through federal funding provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), which was authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP). These grants assist eligible students with expenses related to the continued Coronavirus pandemic. Federal regulations require institutions to focus ARP funds on students with exceptional financial need. Your eligibility to receive a grant from this fund will be determined based on review of your application and fund availability. Submitting an application does not guarantee you will receive an OHIO CARES Relief grant for spring semester 2022. If you previously received an OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant, you may still be eligible to receive additional grant funds during this application cycle.

We will send email notification of your OHIO CARES Relief Fund grant eligibility to your Ohio University email account by May 6. If you have questions, please contact financial.aid@ohio.edu.

OHIO CARES Relief Fund Grants were awarded on April 25, 26, and 27 to students who completed the application. A total of 134 students were awarded. The first 111 applicants were awarded the full requested amount, up to $1,500. The remaining 23 students were awarded between $162 and $1000 based on the timing their application was received and amount requested. In total, $186,162 in CARES funding was awarded. A portion of these funds ($5,200) came from previously issued CARES refund checks that were stale dated and canceled. As of April 27, 2022 Ohio University has expended all HEERF III funds. 

Ohio University has nearly 29,000 students enrolled for the fall semester 2021-22.