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HEERF Grant
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HEERF Grant

  • HEERF Grant Award History +

    • Emergency financial aid to students - HEERF/CARES Act

      A.T. Still University (ATSU) was allocated a total of $539,820 of postsecondary education funds awarded under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. ATSU signed and returned a Certification and Agreement to the U.S. Department of Education on April 30, 2020, assuring intent to use no less than 50 percent of awarded funds to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to novel coronavirus. On May 8, 2020, ATSU received the $269,910 minimum allocation to be awarded to students. On May 11, 2020, $151,696 was awarded to 76 students. An additional $5,752 was distributed May 19, 2020 to 3 eligible students. On June 16, 2020 a final distribution of $117,499 was made to 69 students. $1,858 was the average student award.

      Over 2,000 enrolled AY20 ATSU students completed a FASFA prior to June 15, 2020 to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and therefore may be eligible for emergency aid. Given this is an evolving situation, ATSU will issue this statement by May 29, 2020 and update every 45 days thereafter as required by the Certification and Agreement. As of June 17, 2020 ATSU has allocated all funds to students and anticipates no additional disbursements or updates.

      Emergency financial aid to students - HEERF II/CRRSAA

      The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020, authorized additional funds to assist institutions of higher education manage COVID-19 relief. On February 4, 2021, ATSU received $831,012 of postsecondary education funds under the CRRSAA (often called HEERF II). An amendment to award #P425E203956 (student aid portion) represents $269,910 of that sum. The balance of $561,102 is attributed to an amendment to award #P425F204232 (institutional portion). ATSU’s total allocation of $831,012 was distributed to 1,025 eligible students on March 15, 2021; the average student award was $811.

      Emergency financial aid to students - HEERF III/American Rescue Plan Act

      The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), signed into law on March 11, 2021, authorized additional funds to assist institutions of higher education manage COVID-19 relief. On May 14, 2021, ATSU received $1,529,297 of postsecondary education funds under the ARP (often called HEERF III). An amendment to award #P425E203956 (student aid portion) represents $764,649 of that sum. The balance of $764,648 is attributed to an amendment to award #P425F204232 (institutional portion). The entirety of the award was distributed to students in 4 separate disbursements. $763,932 was disbursed on September 9, 2021 impacting 1,079 students ($708/student). $70,800 was disbursed November 10, 2021 impacting 100 students ($708/student). $458,017 was disbursed on November 10, 2021 impacting 1,109 students ($413/student). $236,217 was disbursed on December 1, 2021 impacting 1,109 students ($213/student).

  • ATSU student eligibility methodology +

    • ATSU Methodology for Emergency Financial Aid Grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act

      In conjunction with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the U.S. Department of Education issued funds, based on a standard student enrollment formula, to A.T. Still University. As a condition of receipt, at least 50 percent of these funds must be reserved for students with emergency financial assistance needs related to the disruption of campus operations.

      Upon notification of funding, ATSU formed an 8-member committee representing academic and administrative departments to make emergency grant decisions. In consultation with the academic programs, the committee conducted an assessment of need among students enrolled in ATSU’s residential programs and created priority rankings. No application for funding was required, however students were notified they must have a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file for 2019-2020 to meet Department of Education eligibility requirements.

      Priority #1-Students enrolled in a clinical program who were unable to complete on time due to the inability to secure required clinical experiences resulting in a program extension beyond the established semester end date. Utilizing the Title IV financial aid budget, these students were allocated a pre-determined amount to cover costs including housing, food, and technology for the additional weeks/months of the extension.

      Priority #2-Students enrolled in a clinical program that was unable to place the student in a scheduled clinical rotation site, but secured a new rotation requiring significant travel and temporary housing expense. These students were allocated a pre-determined amount to assist with housing relocation cost.

      If additional funds are secured for the purpose of student emergency financial assistance, the committee will reconvene as necessary for the purpose of distributing any remaining funds.

      ATSU methodology for Emergency Financial Aid Grants under Section 314(a)(1) of the CRRSAA

      In conjunction with the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), the U.S. Department of Education issued funds, based on a standard student enrollment formula, to A.T. Still University. As a condition of receipt, at least $269,910 of these funds must be reserved for students with exceptional need and have experienced additional expenses due to COVID-19.

      Upon notification of funding, ATSU formed an 8-member committee representing academic and administrative departments to make emergency grant decisions. The committee conducted an assessment of need among students enrolled in ATSU’s residential and online programs and made a determination to award the full $831,012 to students forgoing the $561,102 institutional share. On March 1, 2021, ATSU captured all full time students with 100% need as determined by the 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file to meet Department of Education eligibility requirements prioritizing students with the greatest need. 100% need requires a 0 Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the 2020-2021FAFSA and a student must not receive any Estimated Financial Assistance (EFA) excluding non-need based loans.

      ATSU methodology for Emergency Financial Aid Grants under Section 2003 of the ARP

      In conjunction with the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the U.S. Department of Education issued funds, based on a standard student enrollment formula, to A.T. Still University. As a condition of receipt, at least $764,649 of these funds must be reserved for students with exceptional need and have experienced additional expenses due to COVID-19.

      Upon notification of funding, ATSU convened the 8-member committee representing academic and administrative departments to make emergency grant decisions. The committee assessed need among students enrolled in ATSU’s residential and online programs and made a determination to forgo the institutional share in order to award the full $1,529,297 to students. In order to meet the Department of Education’s eligibility requirement of prioritizing students with exceptional need, ATSU determined all students with 100% need as determined by the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be eligible for emergency student grants. One hundred percent (100%) need requires a $0 Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the 2021-2022 FAFSA and a student must not receive any Estimated Financial Assistance (EFA) excluding non-need based loans. ATSU notified students of the opportunity to request an EFC professional judgment if their current financial situation was not reflected in their 2019 tax documents. A partial disbursement of $763,932 was made on September 9, 2021 impacting 1,079 students with 100% need ($708/student).

      ATSU’s window for requesting an EFC Professional Judgement closed on October 31, 2021. A disbursement of $70,800 was made on November 10, 2021 impacting 100 additional students that met the definition of 100% need as a result of a requested EFC Professional Judgement ($708/student). This was the first disbursement of ARP emergency funding for these students. In order to distribute the remaining funds equitably to enrolled students with 100% need, two additional disbursements were issued on November 10, 2021, in the amount of $458,017 ($413/student) and on December 1, 2021, in the amount of $236,217($213/student)—impacting 1,109 students with 100% need.

  • ATSU guidance/instruction provided to recipient students +

      • HEERF/CARES Act +

      • HEERF II/CRRSAA +

      • HEERF III/American Rescue Plan Act +

  • HEERF award allocation to ATSU +

    • HEERF award allocated to ATSU Student award dates Student award amount Students impacted
      $269,910 received on May 8, 2020 May 8 - 29, 2020

      June 1 - 16, 2020
      $157,448


      $117,499
      79


      69

      TOTAL TO DATE

      $274,947
      $274,947 (102% of student allocation)
      *Additional $5,037 was provided via the Institutional Portion of Funding, award number P425F204232

      148

      Information updated: 10/30/20

      All direct student awards were final as of 6/17/2020. This report is considered final and no future updates are anticipated.

      This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education under award #P425E203956 wherein zero percentage is financed with non-governmental sources.

      HEERF award allocated to ATSU Student award dates Student award amount Students impacted
      $269,910 received on February 4, 2021 March 15, 2021 $270,173 333

      TOTAL TO DATE

      $270,173
      $270,173 (100+% of student allocation) distributed to students. $263 provided in-kind via ATSU Operational Budget. Additionally, the entirety of the Institutional Portion of Funding, award #P425F204232, was distributed to students (see below).
      333

      Information updated: 4/10/2021

      All direct student awards were final as of 3/15/2021. This report is considered final, and no future updates are anticipated.

      This project is supported by the US Department of Education under award #P425E203956 wherein zero percentage is financed with non-governmental sources.

      As noted above, the amendment to grant award #P425F204232 (ATSU’s Institutional Portion) of $561,102 was fully disbursed as direct financial aid, impacting 692 additional students. The funds are reported in the HEERF Institutional Funds Quarterly Report-April 2021, linked below.

      In total, $831,012 was distributed to 1,025 eligible students.

      HEERF award allocated to ATSU Student award dates Student award amount Students impacted
      $764,649 received on May 14, 2021 September 9, 2021 $763,932 1,079

      TOTAL TO DATE

      $763,932
      $763,932 (99.9% of student allocation)
      $708/student
      *Full disbursement of Student Aid Portion (P425E203956) and the entirety of the Intuitional Portion of Funding (P425F204232) will occur after EFC Professional Judgment requests close on October 31, 2021. Final disbursements will be reported via website updates and in the HEERF Institutional Funds Quarterly Reports, as required.

      1,079

      Information updated: 10/10/2021

      This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education under award #P425E203956 wherein zero percentage is financed with non-governmental sources.

      HEERF III (ARP) award allocated to ATSU

      Student award dates

      Student award amount

      Students impacted

      $764,649 received on May 14, 2021

      November 10, 2021

      $717

      1

      TOTAL TO DATE $764,649

      $717 (0.1% of student allocation)

      $708/student
      *The $9 balance of the Student Aid Portion (P425E203956) was disbursed on November 10th along with $70,083 of the Intuitional Portion of Funding (P425F204232) after EFC Professional Judgment requests closed on October 31, 2021 ensuring 100 students received equal disbursements of $708.

      1

      This report is considered final and no future updates are anticipated.

      This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education under award #P425E203956 wherein zero percentage is financed with non-governmental sources.


For more information on the HEERF, please visit the Department of Education’s CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund page.