Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Reporting: Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students

Acknowledgment of certification and agreement

On April 11, 2020, Kansas State University signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid. As required by Section 18004(c) of the CARES Act, Kansas State University agreed to use no less than 50% of the funds received to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student's cost of attendance such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care).

Total amount of funds received

Kansas State University has received $12,686,554 under section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. Per federal guidance, these funds are to be split 50% to institutional support, and 50% to student support

Institutional Support

Kansas State University has received $6,343,277 to utilize as institutional support.

Details of Kansas State University's usage of institutional support can be found below.

Student Support

On April 21, 2020, Kansas State University received access to $6,343,277 to distribute as direct emergency financial aid grants to students pursuant to the institution's Certification and Agreement.

Estimated total number of students eligible

Kansas State University identified an estimated 10,863 students who meet the following criteria enrolled on March 13, 2020.

Only students who are or could be eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), may receive emergency financial aid grants. If a student has filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), then the student has demonstrated eligibility to participate in programs under Section 484 of the HEA. To expedite the distribution of aid to students and to maintain compliance with federal guidance, Kansas State University requires the completion of the FAFSA to be eligible for funding.

At institutions that provide both online and ground-based education, those students who were enrolled exclusively in an online program on March 13, 2020, the date of the President's Proclamation, "Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak," Federal Register Vol. 85, No. 53 at 15337- 38, are not eligible for emergency financial aid grants. The formula provided by Congress for calculating the distribution of funds to institutions excludes students who were exclusively enrolled in distance education courses. Additionally, the emergency financial aid grants to students are for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19, and students who were enrolled exclusively in online programs would not have expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.

Total number of students who have received funds

Date	Total Number of Students who have Received Funds	Total Amount Distributed to Students
May 11, 2020	816	$1,507,490
May 18, 2020	1,494	$2,647,691
May 25, 2020	2,189	$3,773,003
June 1, 2020	2,653	$4,567,043
June 8, 2020	3,116	$5,387,480
June 16, 2020	3,418	$5,906,845
June 30, 2020	3,424	$5,911,275
July 21, 2020	3,441	$5,930,692
August 18, 2020	3,446	$5,942,332
October 22, 2020	3,454	$5,961,334
December 1, 2020	3,569	$6,094,599
December 14, 2020	3,683	$6,212,001
April 15, 2021	3,884	$6,343,277

Method to determine institutional award

Kansas State University is committed to providing the CARES Act Emergency Grant funds directly to students in as transparent and expeditious a manner as possible. Our methodology reflects an institutional goal to meet the intent of this federal relief effort and to follow available U.S. Department of Education guidance. Within this context, a student's financial need for available funds is taken into consideration. The university has created the following awarding methodology to be utilized in conjunction with the CARES Act Emergency Grant Application that has been published and made available.

Student Group 1 consists of Spring 2020 enrolled students who are degree-seeking, enrolled at least half-time, have a FAFSA on file with K-State, meet the HEA's Section 484 eligibility criteria, and have a FAFSA calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) between 0 and 9,000. The amount of CARES Act Emergency Grant provided to individuals within this cohort is premised on expenses reported by the student on the application.

Since Student Group 1 represents individuals with a lower EFC range, a two-month Cost of Attendance allowance may be awarded for expenses incurred by the student in the categories of Room, Board and Wifi access. The application allows a student to report other expenses incurred as a result of the campus disruption resulting from the COVID-19 health crisis for the term, such as the necessary purchase of a laptop, health care, dependent care, course materials/supplies, etc.. An overall cap on the maximum CARES Act Emergency Grant award amount for this student group, utilizing the online application, is set at $2,800.

Student Group 2 consists of Spring 2020 enrolled students who are degree-seeking, enrolled at least half-time, have a FAFSA on file with K-State, meet the HEA's Section 484 eligibility criteria, and have a FAFSA calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) between 9,001 and 40,000. The amount of CARES Act Emergency Grant provided to individuals within this cohort is also premised on expenses reported by the student on the application.

Since Student Group 2 represents individuals within a higher EFC range than Student Group 1, a one-month Cost of Attendance allowance may be awarded for expenses incurred by the student in the categories of Room, Board and Wifi access. The application allows a student to report other expenses incurred as a result of the campus disruption resulting from the COVID-19 health crisis for the term, such as the necessary purchase of a laptop, health care, dependent care, course materials/supplies, etc.. An overall cap on the maximum CARES Act Emergency Grant award amount for this student group, utilizing the online application, is set at $2,100.

A third student group was targeted starting November 12, 2020. Student Group 3 consists of current Fall 2020 undergraduate students who have a FAFSA on file, had not been awarded CARES Act funds before, were independent for federal aid or are a dependent student who had accepted an additional unsubsidized student loan due to their parent being denied the parent PLUS loan, and had not been approved for graduations at the end of the Fall 2020 term. Students were first ranked by EFC, then by FISAP total income. The neediest students were selected and sent an email inviting them to apply for the grant for a maximum of a $1,200 award. Students were given a two-week window to apply before moving on to the next neediest students in our list.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance reserves the option to make additional CARES Act Emergency Grant awards outside the parameters listed above on a student-by-student basis referencing additional expense information and informed by professional judgment and/or via awards targeted at affected students with demonstrative high levels of financial need. Irrespective of methodology, no award will exceed the equivalent amount of a maximum Federal Pell Grant for the 2019-20 award year.

Instructions, direction or guidance to students

Kansas State University has used multiple methods to communicate the opportunity to apply for the CARES Act Emergency grants to students, including but not limited to:

Developing a comprehensive webpage with a link to the application and guidance for students.
Providing responses to frequently asked questions which are listed below.
Notifying all students through K-State today Student Edition Article.
Promotion by University and department social media accounts.
Sending email to high-need students on May 5, 2020.
Specific departments and deans sending emails to students who were identified as having a known expense related to the disruption of campus operations during the spring term.
Sending follow-up email to high-need students on June 1, 2020.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are graduate and professional students eligible to apply?

Do I need to submit a FAFSA to receive these funds?

I was enrolled exclusively online. Am I eligible?

What if I do not meet the eligibility criteria?

Will all students be awarded the same?

No, the guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Education stipulates that universities prioritize students with the greatest need (i.e. Pell eligible students). The amount of the emergency grant awarded will vary from student to student based on the results of the FAFSA and the specific expenses sustained by the student. There is no guarantee that all applications submitted will receive funding.

I'm not eligible for Pell Grant. Should I still apply?

What can these funds be used for?

The purpose of these funds is to assist with expenses attributed to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19, such as food, housing, course materials, technology (computer purchase, internet), health care, child care, or transportation (ie. flight costs if studying abroad when program was canceled). The expenses would have been unforeseen costs incurred during Spring 2020.

The CARES Act stipulates that the emergency funds cannot be used to replace a loss of income or to pay for student expenses that are not directly related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.