COVID19 – CARES Act
BHU CARES
2021-2022 CARES ACT REPORTING
Beulah Heights University desires to assist students and their families that have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We are thankful for the opportunity through the CARES act to assist students. BHU is proud to announce that unprecedented support was given to students throughout the pandemic.
#BHUSTRONG!
HEERF I Funds Website Reporting
- We intend to give 50% of the funds to students
- The total amount that we will disburse to student is $147,563.00
- We estimate that over 300 students are eligible for this grant
- BHU disbursed funds to 242 students as of 05/31/21 totaling $147,563
- This is the final report that covers all remaining HEERF I fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student Portion funds
- CARES Act Quarterly Report
HEERF II Funds Website Reporting
- We intend to give 50% of the funds to students
- The total amount that we will disburse to students is $147,563.00
- We estimate that over 140 students are eligible for this grant
- BHU disbursed funds to 113 students as of 05/31/2021 totaling $147,563
- This is the final report that covers all remaining HEERF II fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student Portion funds
THE METHOD USED TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY IS AS FOLLOWS:
BHU Students who are experiencing unexpected financial hardship resulting from COVID-19 may submit a CARES Grant Application to claim grant funds. The CARES Financial Hardship Application is available at www.beulah.edu/CARES.
If you did not receive CARES Act funds in the Summer and Fall semesters of 2020, a CARES Act Financial Hardship application must be completed by January 20, 2021.
- Funds will be disbursed by January 29, 2020.
- Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is calculated through the FAFSA process.
- Grants will be prorated based on part-time vs. full-time status.
- The Grant amount below is annualized. Thus, funds will be disbursed based on a student’s Plan of Attendance as established through the FAFSA process.
GROUP 1
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $0 to $4,000.
Grant Amount: $2,000 or $1,300, depending on full-time or part-time enrollment
GROUP 2
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $4,001 to $8,000.
Grant Amount: $1,300 or $700, depending on full-time or part-time enrollment.
GROUP 3
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) greater than $8,000.
Grant Amount: $700 or $400, depending on full-time or part-time enrollment.
BELOW ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS SENT TO ALL ELIGIBLE STUDENTS
"Dear BHU Family,
Beulah Heights University students with financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic may qualify for emergency funds from the federal CARES Act. Upon review, you may pre-qualify for the CARES Act Relief Grant.
The CARES Act funds may assist you with college attendance costs, including housing, food, health care, childcare, living expenses, and more.
To find out if you qualify, please go to www.beulah.edu/CARES. This will take you directly to the CARES Act information pages and application. If you are eligible you will be notified via your BHU email.
We appreciate you selecting Beulah Heights University for your educational pursuit."
HEERF III Funds Website Reporting
- We intend to give 50% of the funds to students
- The total amount that we will disburse to students is $441,582
- We estimate that over 500 students are eligible for this grant
- BHU disbursed the first tranche of this grant, totaling $180,942 in August and September of 2021
- BHU disbursed the remaining $260,640 between March 1 and June 30 of 2022
THE METHOD USED TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY IS AS FOLLOWS:
Tranche 1:
BHU Students who are experiencing unexpected financial hardship resulting from COVID-19 may submit a CARES Grant Application to claim grant funds. The CARES Financial Hardship Application is available at www.beulah.edu/CARES.
If you did not receive CARES Act funds in the Summer and Fall semesters of 2020, a CARES Act Financial Hardship application must be completed by January 20, 2021.
- Funds will be disbursed by January 29, 2020.
- Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is as calculated through the FAFSA process.
- Grants will be prorated based on part-time vs. full-time status.
- Grant amount below is annualized. Thus, funds will be disbursed based on a student’s Plan of Attendance as established through the FAFSA process.
GROUP 1
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $0 to $4,000.
Grant Amount: $2,000 or $1,300, depending on full-time or part-time enrollment
GROUP 2
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $4,001 to $8,000.
Grant Amount: $1,300 or $700, depending on full-time or part-time enrollment.
GROUP 3
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) greater than $8,000.
Grant Amount: $700 or $400, depending on full-time or part-time enrollment.
Tranche 2:
GROUP 1
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $0 to $4,000.
Grant Amount: $1,600 or $800, depending on full-time or part-time enrollment.
GROUP 2
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) greater than $4,000.
Grant Amount: $700 or $350, depending on full-time or part-time enrollment.
GROUP 3
No reported Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
Grant Amount: $425 or $250, depending on full-time or part-time enrollment.
Quarterly Reports:
WHAT IS THE CARES/HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND PROVIDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress and signed into law to provide economic relief from COVID-19. One section of the CARES Act established the Higher Education Emergency Relief fund and sent money to schools to use for emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the pandemic.
WHEN WILL CARES/HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS BE AVAILABLE?
Beulah Heights University applied for funding from the federal CARES Act and once we receive that funding from the U.S. Department of Education, we will be able to rapidly start distributing grants to students based on their financial need. We anticipate the grants will be disbursed twice this semester. Recipients will be notified via a message to their BHU email account.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE CARES/HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS?
Students who meet basic eligibility criteria for federal financial aid and who have the greatest financial need can be considered for these funds. The Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) will use Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data to determine your eligibility. If you are eligible to file a FAFSA but have not yet filed for 2019-20 and need assistance, please file a FAFSA at studentaid.gov.
Under U.S. Department of Education rules for the program, these funds can be awarded to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students pursuing degree programs and enrolled at the BHU.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Education does not allow these funds to be used for international students, undocumented students, non-matriculated students, or students enrolled in distance-only degree programs. If you are a student from one of these groups, there are other types of emergency aid from the BHU available. Please see the questions below for details on applying for these emergency aid programs.
WHAT IS A BHU CARES ACT RELIEF GRANT?
The CARES Act directed universities to prioritize students whose family income is in the low- to low-middle income categories and BHU wants to provide economic relief quickly to students who may have experienced additional expenses and/or a loss of income in spring semester due to COVID-19. We have used the CARES Act emergency aid funds to provide a standard relief grant based on the family income reported on your FAFSA.
These funds are meant to help students pay expenses for technology, health care, child care, course materials, rent, food moving, or other expenses incurred this semester. If you have yet to experience financial stress due to COVID-19, these funds can help with unanticipated expenses or income loss that may occur throughout the semester and into future semesters.
Some students who file individual requests for assistance may also receive a BHU CARES Act Relief Grant as we continue to provide assistance to students who encounter new financial challenges from the pandemic.
WHY DIDN’T I RECEIVE A BHU CARES ACT RELIEF GRANT?
Under U.S. Department of Education rules for the program, students who are not eligible for federal financial aid programs are not eligible for federal CARES grants. However, BHU may be able to help you with emergency aid from other institutional or private donations. These funds are limited, but we encourage you to apply. We will review your request and determine if we can offer your assistance.
If you are eligible for federal aid but did not receive BHU CARES Act Relief standard grant described above, you can notify our office for a review of your situation by submitting a request for institutional scholarship.
In general, you probably didn’t receive a standard relief grant because you may not have appeared to meet the criteria of greatest financial need. However, we know that many families’ income is in flux or there may be additional expenses associated due to the pandemic. We need to hear from you in order to determine if we can offer you funds too. Please file the emergency aid request to help with your immediate needs and consider filing a request for change in income or expenses for other financial aid funds for longer-term and future needs. You can find more information about changing your financial aid information by emailing financialaid@beulah.edu.
WHAT EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?
Unfortunately, under the U.S. Department of Education rules for the program, international students are not eligible for the federal CARES funds.
International students who need assistance are encouraged to visit the International Student Services website for resources as an F-1 Student at BHU.
WILL THERE BE CARES FUNDS FOR 2020-21?
Right now we are concentrating on spring semester emergency aid and monitoring federal and state economic conditions, as well as the prospects for additional federal emergency funding for universities and students. We will continue to make emergency aid grants from CARES funds for individual requests we receive in the spring semester. We will decide later this spring about remaining CARES funds we can use to support students in 2020-21, including for students enrolled in the summer semester. We will update these FAQs as we make later decisions on the use of these funds.