As of August 23, 123 students have applied to Neumann for emergency CARES Act assistance to help offset expenses incurred because of coronavirus. According to Eileen Tucker, director of financial assistance, there is still federal funding available to help many more students.

These grants are capped at $2,500 each, and so far, all students who applied have requested the maximum amount.

Tucker is urging faculty and staff who know students who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 to apply for this emergency aid by completing the Emergency Assistance Application.

In order to qualify, students must meet Title IV eligibility requirements as determined through a completed 2019-20 or 2020-21 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

Neumann applied for CARES Act funding in the spring and distributed the bulk of it to students in June ($457,200 to 1,353 students). The university also placed some of the federal dollars it received into an emergency assistance fund in anticipation of some students facing additional hardship or exceptional circumstances prior to the fall semester.

“We’re being as thoughtful and conscientious as we can be in distributing this federal aid to students,” explained Dr. Chris Domes.

The university is required to distribute all CARES Act funds that are earmarked for students by June 30, 2021.

In March of this year, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide emergency assistance for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. A portion of this funding was earmarked for college students who are eligible for federal financial aid.

According to federal guidelines, the money is meant to help offset part of the expenses for food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, or child care that students may have incurred because of coronavirus or the public health measures that have been taken to slow its spread.

During the last several months, Neumann has also instituted other measures to address the financial impact of the pandemic, including freezing 2020 tuition at 2019 levels.