Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)

Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF, CARES Act, American Rescue Act Plan)

HEERF III Funds, or The American Rescue Plan (ARP)

The American Rescue Act was signed into law on March 11, 2021 and contains funding for higher education. Boston College received its HEERF III Grant award notification on May 17, 2021 and in accordance with the requirements of the ARP(a)(1), no less than $8,715,557 will be used to provide emergency financial aid grants to students.

Following the American Rescue Plan regulatory guidance, Boston College has prioritized the awarding of HEERF III funds to students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants. Boston College had a total of 15,409 students enrolled for the fall 2021 semester. As of December 31, 2022, from the $8,715,557 of the student portion of the HEERF III funding, Boston College distributed grants of up $4,500 to 2,159 undergraduate students with the highest demonstrated financial need as calculated by the FAFSA to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID pandemic for a total of $7,437,357. Specifically, these grants were given to undergraduate students whose family contribution toward educational expenses as calculated by the FAFSA was $22,000 or less during the 2021–2022 academic year. Boston College has also distributed grants of up to $1,000 to 1,418 graduate and law students with the highest demonstrated financial need, as calculated by the FAFSA, to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID pandemic for a total of $1,278,200. Specifically, these grants were given to those graduate students whose family contribution toward educational expenses, as calculated by the FAFSA, was $10,000 or less during the 2021–2022 academic year.

As of March 28, 2023, Boston College’s total allocation of the HEERF III student portion has been fully expended.

HEERF II (CRRSAA)

On December 27, 2020, federal legislation was signed into law that, among other initiatives, created a second funding program, HEERF II, or CARES Act II. Boston College received its HEERF II Grant award notification on January 17, 2021. In accordance with the requirements of CRRSAA and ARP(a)(1) and (a)(4) programs, no less than $3,224,288 will be used to provide emergency financial aid grants to students.

Boston College had a total of 14,843 students enrolled for the spring 2021 semester. Per CRRSAA rules, Boston College has prioritized the awarding of HEERF II funds to students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants. As of March 30, 2022, from the $3,224,288 of the student portion of the HEERF II funding, Boston College has distributed grants of up to $2,000 to undergraduate students with the highest demonstrated financial need as calculated by the FAFSA to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID pandemic for a total of $2,848,688. Specifically, these grants were given to 1,590 undergraduate students whose family contribution toward educational expenses as calculated by the FAFSA was $10,000 or less during the 2020–2021 academic year. Boston College has also distributed grants of $500 to 751 graduate and law students with the highest demonstrated financial need, as calculated by the FAFSA, to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID pandemic for a total of $375,600. Specifically, these grants were given to those graduate students whose family contribution toward educational expenses, as calculated by the FAFSA, was $0 during the 2020–2021 academic year.

As of June 21, 2022, Boston College’s total allocation of the HEERF II student portion has been fully expended.

CARES Act I, or HEERF I

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act established an approximately $14b Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), which allocated 75% of the funding to institutions of higher education based on the number of each institution's Pell Grant recipients and the remaining 25% based upon each institution's remaining total student's Full-Time Enrollment. Under this metric, Boston College was allocated approximately $6.4m. Pursuant to the CARES Act, institutions are obligated to use at least half of their allocated funding for emergency student financial aid grants. The remaining portion of an institution's CARES Act funding may be used for certain other expenses relating to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19. The Department of Education has made the student portion of this CARES Act funding available first. 

As a condition to receiving the emergency student financial aid portion of its CARES Act funding, the University signed and returned to the Department of Education a Certification and Agreement affirming that Boston College will, in accordance with the requirements of the CARES Act, use no less than 50% of its total CARES Act funding to provide emergency financial aid grants to students. That Certification was signed by Boston College on June 5, 2020. On August 6, Boston College received the approval to receive the funding from the Department of Education and the funds will be received by the institution in late August.

Per the CARES Act, this portion can only be distributed to students who are eligible to participate in federal financial aid programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, were enrolled for the full spring semester and were not enrolled in a fully online program. Boston College had 6,680 students who submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the spring 2020 semester, 4,683 of whom were undergraduates. As of late August 2020, from the $3,224,288 of the student portion of the CARES Act funding, Boston College has distributed grants of up to $2,000 to 1,579 undergraduate students with the highest demonstrated financial need as calculated by the FAFSA to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations in the Spring of 2020 due to the COVID pandemic for a total of $2,837,643. Specifically, these grants were given to undergraduate students whose family contribution toward educational expenses as calculated by the FAFSA, was $10,000 or less during the 2019–2020 academic year. Boston College has also distributed grants of up to $550 to 703 graduate and law students with the highest demonstrated financial need, as calculated by the FAFSA, to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID pandemic for a total of $386,645. Specifically, these grants were given to those graduate students whose family contribution toward educational expenses, as calculated by the FAFSA, was $0 during the 2019–2020 academic year.

As of April 29, 2021, the CARES Act student funding has been disbursed. Boston College’s total allocation of the student portion has now been fully expended.

First Published: 8/24/2020
Second Update: 10/27/2020
Third Update: 12/22/2020
Fourth Update: 4/10/2021
Fifth Update: 5/12/2021 FINAL Cares Act I, HEERF I 
Sixth Update: 6/11/2021
Seventh Update: 7/9/2021
Eighth Update: 10/6/2021
Ninth Update: 12/9/2021
Tenth Update: 1/7/2022
Eleventh Update: 3/30/2022
Twelfth Update: 6/21/2022 FINAL HEERF II 
Thirteenth Update: 10/5/2022
Forteenth Update: 1/5/2023
Fifteenth Update: 3/28/2023

Quarterly Reports

Covid Relief Programs

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