K-State home
Office of Student Financial Assistance
About the OSFA
Policies
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) HEERF Fund II Reporting

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II Reporting: Created Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA)

Acknowledgment of certification and agreement

The Federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA Act), 2021, has allocated emergency financial aid grants called the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) II. A significant portion of K-State’s total allocation will be targeted to assist students directly with exceptional need. These grants can be used by students toward educational costs and other emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care.

Total amount of funds received

K-State has been notified of a total allocation of $19,845,018 under the CRRSAA.

Institutional Support

K-State may utilize up to $13,501,741 from its total allocation for institutional support. The use of funds for institutional support has not yet been determined.

Student Support

K-State will distribute $6,343,277 from its total allocation for direct student support in a way that prioritizes eligible students with exceptional need and ensures that funds are distributed as widely and expeditiously as possible, per federal guidance. Such direct student support will be provided in the form of grant aid and will be referenced as HEERF 2 Grants by K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance. This pool of funding will be allocated directly to students based on the following two groupings:

More than ninety percent of the fund, nearly $5.8 million, is being allocated directly to students who have filed a 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as HEERF 2 Block Grants with the amount of each grant determined on the FAFSA’s calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as well as the student’s spring 2021 enrollment level (full time vs. part time). This cohort of students is described as Group 1 below.
The remaining portion of the fund is being made available via two separate application processes to eligible students facing continuing COVID-19 based financial hardships. This cohort of students is described as Group 2 below.

Total number of students who have received funds

Date	Total Number of Students who have Received Funds	Total Amount Distributed to Students
April 9, 2021	7,405	$5,806,500
May 11, 2021	7,993	$6,288,000
June 16, 2021	8,055	$6,343,277

Method to determine student support awards

Student Group 1

Students who meet the eligibility criteria below will be electronically notified and will be automatically awarded a HEERF 2 Block Grant for the Spring 2021 term in the amounts outlined below. Expected Family Contribution (EFC) range is based on need calculated by the 2020-2021 FAFSA. Note: These awards will be made automatically to all eligible students. No application will be required.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance will reference the calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by the federal processor of the student’s 2020-21 FAFSA on file to document exceptional financial need at the time of the award. The office will also reference the student’s enrollment level for the Spring 2021 term at the time of the award.

Find help determining Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Zero - 9,000 EFC
Full time	$1,000
Part time	$500

9,001-20,000 EFC
Full time	$500
Part time	$250

Students will be notified via their K-State email account of receipt of the award. The award will be credited to their university account but will, effectively, bypass any university charges and will be forwarded on in the form of an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) per student authorized directive or in the form of a mailed paper check to the student’s local address of record.

Student Group 2

The Office of Student Financial Assistance will make additional HEERF 2 grant awards, outside the parameters listed for Student Group 1, premised on information submitted by students as part of an application process.

Students who have encountered unexpected education-related expenses due to COVID-19 and who are not eligible for any funds under the Group 1 parameters above are invited to apply for a limited number of HEERF 2 Grants.
Graduate students on a graduate teaching or graduate research assistantship who have encountered financial hardship in obtaining/securing technology hardware/software critical for carrying out their assistantships during the pandemic are invited to apply for a limited number of HEERF 2 Technology Grants. The Office of Student Financial Assistance will email an application for this grant to graduate students who have a current (spring 2021) graduate teaching/research assistantship appointment.

Regardless of methodology, no award will exceed the equivalent amount of a maximum Federal Pell Grant for the 2020-21 award year.

Instructions, direction or guidance to students

The vast majority of available HEERF 2 grants will be made automatically in accordance with the awarding parameters noted above by the Office of Student Financial Assistance and will not require a student to complete an application.

Kansas State University is utilizing multiple methods to communicate information about HEERF II awards to students and the university community, including but not limited to:

Developing a comprehensive web page with a link to the awarding parameters utilized and guidance for students.
Providing responses to frequently asked questions, which are listed below.
Sending an electronic application to eligible graduate students with a teaching or research assistantship appointment for the spring 2021 term.
Posting an online HEERF 2 Grant application for students who do not qualify for an automatic HEERF 2 Block Grant award.
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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some of the differences between HEERF 2 student grants to be made under the CRRSAA and students grants made by K-State under the CARES Act in calendar year 2020?

Unlike grant awards made under the CARES Act, the university may make grant awards under the CRRSA Act to enrolled students who may not meet all of the eligibility requirements to be eligible for standard, federal, Title IV, financial aid.
Students enrolled in all online classes, who meet the other eligibility requirements, may receive HEERF II grants.
Unlike student grants made under the CARES Act, grant awards made to students under the CRRSA Act must be prioritized to student with exceptional need by K-State, per federal guidelines.

Are international or undocumented students eligible?

Will a HEERF 2 Grant affect my other financial aid?

Will a HEERF 2 Grant pay any of my existing university charges?

Per federal guidelines, a HEERF 2 Grant must be paid directly to the student. In other words, the university will forward the entire grant amount to the student, even if the student still has unpaid charges, such as for tuition, fees, housing, etc. with the university. Once the student has received the funds the student may, however, choose to use the funds to pay any educationally related expenses, including paying any existing university charges.

How will I receive my HEERF 2 Grant?

If you’ve been awarded a HEERF 2 Grant, you will receive the funds either via Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) (if you have already signed up to have any excess financial assistance electronically transferred to a bank account of your choosing), or you will receive the funds in the form of a paper check that will be mailed out to your “local” address on file with the university by K-State’s Cashiers Office.

Will all students be awarded the same?

No, federal guidance stipulates that universities prioritize students with exceptional need for HEERF 2 Grants. For example, for K-State’s HEERF 2 Block Grants, higher award amounts will be delivered to students with lower EFC values as well as to students with a higher level of enrollment status at time of the award. There is no guarantee that all students who submit an application for a HEERF 2 Grant will receive funding.