Please see the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) page for the latest emergency aid information (Fall 2021).
Roane State Community College disbursed emergency student assistance provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act beginning the week of May 18, 2020. Later that same week, updated guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) allowed for additional payments to a new population of students who were not eligible for the initial emergency aid payment. Those additional payments are expected to begin processing on June 3, 2020. This will be the final disbursement as all funds are now allocated.
The CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF) funding to higher education institutions is meant to assist students with unmet expenses as a result of COVID-19. Funds must be used to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as:
Students exclusively enrolled in online courses prior to March 13, 2020 are not eligible. In accordance with the HEERF Certification and Agreement signed and returned to the USDOE, the institution will use no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
Our institution determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impacts of COVID-19 related events. Following Secretary of Education DeVos’s guidance, Federal Pell eligible students received priority funding. However, based on our institution’s determined criteria, certain non-Federal Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding.
Criteria for eligibility include:
Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to students by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on if the student has an e-refund profile set up with the college. A payment is not necessarily a reflection of a student’s current student account balance, as these funds are disbursed directly to a student no matter if a current balance is owed to the institution.
Students determined eligible for HEERF payments will receive a confirmation email from Roane State.
View email communications sent to students
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Number of Title IV eligible students who may qualify for HEERF payments (Disbursement #1): | 2432 |
| Total amount of HEERF aid available for payments to students (prior to updated USDOE guidance): | $1,657,191.00 |
| Total amount of HEERF aid paid to eligible students (including added funds under updated USDOE guidance): | $1,892,400.67 |
| Number of eligible students paid during disbursement #1: | 2325 |
| Number of eligible students to be paid during disbursement #2: | 776 |
| Total number of eligible students paid: | 3101 |
Table is initially published no later than 30 days after the institution received HEERF funds and is updated every 45 days after. The table below provides these dates.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Date Institution Submitted HEERF Certification and Agreement to USDOE: | April 24, 2020 |
| Date Information Originally Published Online: | May 18, 2020 |
| Website Updated with new information from USDOE: | June 3, 2020 |
| Website Updated (1st 45-day requirement): | June 30, 2020* |
Funds awarded under section 314(a) of the CRRSAA must be reserved to provide students with financial aid grants, which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare.
If an institution obtains a student’s written (or electronic), affirmative consent, an institution is permitted to apply these grants directly to the student’s institutional account; however, students must be informed that they retain the option to receive a direct disbursement of the financial aid grant and that an institution may not require that the grant be applied to the student’s account.
Unlike the CARES Act, the CRRSAA requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Federal Pell Grants, in awarding financial aid grants to students. However, students do not need to be Federal Pell recipients or students who are eligible for Federal Pell grants to be identified as having exceptional need. In addition, the CRRSAA explicitly provides that financial aid grants to students may be provided to students exclusively enrolled in distance education.
Our institution determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impacts of COVID-19 related events. Following USDOE’s guidance, Federal Pell eligible students received priority funding. However, based on our institution’s determined criteria, certain non-Federal Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding.
Criteria for eligibility include:
Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to students by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on if the student has an e-refund profile set up with the college.
A payment is not necessarily a reflection of a student’s current student account balance, as these funds are disbursed directly to a student no matter if a current balance is owed to the institution.
Students determined eligible for HEERF payments will receive a confirmation email from the college.
View email communications sent to students
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Number of eligible students who may qualify for HEERF II payments: | 3,165 |
| Total amount of HEERF II aid available for payments to students: | $1,657,191.00 |
| Total amount of HEERF II aid paid to eligible students: | $1,669,445.86 |
| Total number of eligible students paid: | 3,165 |
* This is the final quarterly posting covering all remaining HEERF fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student Portion funds.
Student HEERF funds awarded under the ARP must be reserved to provide students with financial aid grants, which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare.
If an institution obtains a student’s written (or electronic), affirmative consent, an institution is permitted to apply these grants directly to the student’s institutional account; however, students must be informed that they retain the option to receive a direct disbursement of the financial aid grant and that an institution may not require that the grant be applied to the student’s account.
The ARP requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Federal Pell Grants, in awarding financial aid grants to students. However, students do not need to be Federal Pell recipients or students who are eligible for Federal Pell grants to be identified as having exceptional need.
Our institution determined funds would be allocated to the largest number of students possible due to impacts of COVID-19 related events. Following USDOE’s guidance, Federal Pell eligible students received priority funding. However, based on our institution’s determined criteria, certain non-Federal Pell eligible students were also considered eligible for funding.
Criteria for eligibility include:
Any disbursed emergency grant funds will be released to students by either refund check or direct deposit, depending on if the student has an e-refund profile set up with the college. Students were provided the option to authorize payment towards current account balances, but this was not required for eligibility.
A payment is not necessarily a reflection of a student’s current student account balance, as these funds are disbursed directly to a student no matter if a current balance is owed to the institution, unless the student provided authorization for application to account balances.
Students determined eligible for HEERF payments will receive a confirmation email from the college.
View email communications sent to students
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Number of eligible students who may qualify for HEERF III payments: | 3,623 |
| Total amount of HEERF III aid available for payments to students: | $6,129,799.00 |
| Total amount of HEERF III aid paid to eligible students: | $6,265,636.28 |
| Total number of eligible students paid: | 3,623 |
Student questions can be submitted by emailing cares@roanestate.edu. Our CARES Act Team will typically respond within two business days.
Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting under CARES Act Sections 18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion, 18004(a)(2), and 18004(a)(3).
Roane State Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity or national origin, sex, disability, age, status as protected veteran or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulation and by Tennessee board of Regents policies with respect to employment, programs, and activities. View full non-discrimination policy.
