CARES Act Funding Under Section 18004(a)(1) – Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund 50% for Student Aid
30-Day Report
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education
Award Number: P425E201517
Award Amount: $305,499
Report Period: 04/24/2020 thru 05/24/2020
Report Date: 05/22/2020
Source and Purpose of Funds
The University of at Presque Isle (UMPI) received the above award from the CARES Act passed by Congress on March 27, 2020 to provide emergency financial aid grants to eligible students for their expenses related to the disruption of our campus operations due to coronavirus.
On April 13, 2020, UMPI submitted the required Certification and Agreement to the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE) committing to use these funds to provide emergency aid directly to our eligible students.
Eligibility Requirements
Consistent with the guidance from the U.S. DOE, eligible students include all students who were enrolled at UMPI on March 13, 2020 and are eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), with the following exceptions:
- Non-degree seeking students
- International or DACA students
- Employees receiving UMS Employee Tuition benefits
- Early College students
- Students enrolled in exclusively online courses as of March 13, 2020.
Students who did not have a FAFSA on file with the university were able to complete a self-certification form, attesting under the penalty of perjury to meeting the requirements of Section 484 of the HEA.
Distribution Plan
Consistent with the other institutions within the University of Maine System, of which UMPI is a part, and in acknowledgement that every one of our students experienced disruption when COVID-19 forced all courses to be transitioned to online delivery, UMPI will automatically distribute approximately 85% percent of these funds to all eligible students. Award amounts will be tiered as follows based on the number of credit hours in which the student is enrolled as of March 13, 2020:
.1 – 5.99 Credit Hours: $100
6 – 11.99 Credit Hours: $250
12+ Credit Hours: $500
The remaining 15 percent of the CARES student aid is being made available by application to eligible students who self-identify with additional need as a result of the disruption to campus operations caused by COVID-19. As we communicated to the entire student body on May 4, 2020, students may apply for those funds here.
In some cases, emergency funds may have been supplemented with a portion of CARES dollars intended for institutional relief.
All distributions to student will be made via direct deposit or check. Because the IRS considers the CARES student funds as a “qualified disaster relief payment,” they are not considered taxable income.
Disbursements To-Date
| Distribution type | Number of eligible students | Number of students to which aid has been distributed | Total amount of aid that has been distributed | Amount of funds remaining for disbursement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic | 576 | 562 | $252,966 | $6,708 |
| Application | 576 | 36 | $17,300 | $28,525 |
| Total | 576 | 569 | $270,266 | $35,233 |
Communications to Students
Below are all communications from the University of Maine System or UMPI to students related to the students concerning the emergency financial aid grants provided through the CARES Act.