COVID-19 (Coronavirus) INFORMATION
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN (HEERF III) FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
Cayuga Community College will adhere to SUNY guidance regarding how campuses can use these funds to meet emergency needs of students who have been impacted by COVID-19. Under the American Rescue Plan (ARP), passed by Congress and signed by the President in March 2021, the third round of funding was provided in the amount of $36.9 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III). The U.S. Department of Education is allocating HEERF III funds to institutions in two portions, similar to the HEERF I and HEERF II funding, one focused on providing emergency grants to students in its entirety and the other more focused on campus institutional needs. Cayuga Community College signed and returned to the Education Department a Certification and Agreement as required under CARES Act section 18004(a) (1) program.
ARP HEERF III Student Aid Funds may be used by students 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.
Cayuga Community College has received $3,382,496 in HEERF III funds to be awarded to students. The College will be awarding an additional $19,007 that has been rolled over from CRRSAA (HEERF II) Account to the HEERF III account.
Cayuga Community College has distributed the following ARP funding to students:
| Date | Reporting Requirement | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 12/31/2021 | Quarterly Report | Cayuga Community has awarded $1,589,500 to #927 students. |
| 03/31/2022 | Quarterly Report | Since December 31, 2021, Cayuga Community College has awarded $272,025 to #414 students. The total amounted distributed in AMRP funds is $1,861,525 to #1028 unduplicated students |
| 06/30/2022 | Quarterly Report | Since March 31, 2022, Cayuga Community College has awarded $1,533,525 to #748 students. The total amount distributed in AMRP funds is $3,395,050 to #1166 unduplicated students |
| 09/30/2022 | Quarterly Report | Since June 30, 2022, Cayuga Community College has awarded $0 to #0 students. The total amount distributed in AMRP funds is $3,395,050 to #1166 unduplicated students |
| 12/31/2022 | Quarterly Report | Since September 30, 2022, Cayuga Community College has awarded $0 to #0 students. The total amount distributed in AMRP funds is $3,395,050 to #1166 unduplicated students |
DISTRIBUTION PLAN
Cayuga Community College intends to distribute these grant funds as quickly as is practicable via check or electronic funds transfer to allow students to manage their expenses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cayuga Community College will hold emergency funds in a separate account within our General Ledger account. These funds will be disbursed in two installments: fall and spring. The Department of Education has required campuses to prioritize students with exceptional need when awarding emergency grants to students.
Cayuga Community College will distribute ARP HEERF III funds through the following methodologies:
- ARP HEERF III funding will be awarded to students with the lowest Expected Family Contribution (EFC). SUNY has provided a template that calculates the amounts of awards based on the student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC), obtained through the completion of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and the student’s full or part-time enrollment derived by the student’s tuition billing information. EFC ranges in this group are from $0-$14,615.
- The College will be distributing ARP Emergency Grants through an application process. All matriculated and non-matriculated students will be able to apply for an emergency grant. This includes students who may have received funds previously through the SUNY Block Grant. Students who are excluded from the application process are students enrolled in concurrent high school programs and students enrolled in the prison program. A committee has been formed to review the applications. Individual emergency grants cannot be greater than the annual Pell Grant for 2021-2022 ($6,495). The Committee will decide on your application within 10 business days. Applications for the Fall will be open until February 1, 2022.
- Any funds not awarded through the application process will be rolled over to the spring SUNY Block Grant matrix. In addition, any funds from uncashed checks will also be rolled over to the spring SUNY Block Grant.
SUNY BLOCK GRANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- Are a matriculated (degree-seeking) full- or part-time undergraduate student
- Have completed the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) within the following range: 0 – $14,615
- Enrolled in the Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 semester
- Full time and Part time Status is determined by the student’s tuition billing charges.
Fall 2021: 97.8% was awarded to students in the SUNY template.
Table 1: Fall EFC Range and Number of Students
| EFC Award Range | Total # of Students | Total Full-Time | Total Part-Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2923 | 640 | 463 | 177 |
| 2924–5846 | 109 | 87 | 22 |
| 5847–8769 | 78 | 54 | 24 |
| 8770–11692 | 61 | 42 | 19 |
| 11693–14615 | 39 | 27 | 12 |
| Total | 927 | 673 | 254 |
Table 2: Fall Award Per EFC Range and Full Time/Part Time Status
| 125% | 100% | 75% | 50% | 25% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards | EFC RANGE 0–2,923 |
EFC RANGE 2,924–5,846 |
EFC RANGE 5,847–8,769 |
EFC RANGE 8,770–11,692 |
EFC RANGE 11,693–14,615 |
| Full-Time | $1,980.00 | $1,760.00 | $1,540.00 | $1,320.00 | $1,100.00 |
| Part-Time | $1,540.00 | $1,320.00 | $1,100.00 | $880.00 | $660.00 |
Table 3: Spring EFC Range and Number of Students
| EFC Award Range | Total # of Students | Total Full-Time | Total Part-Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2923 | 520 | 387 | 133 |
| 2,924–5,846 | 90 | 65 | 25 |
| 5,847–8,769 | 54 | 38 | 16 |
| 8,770–11,692 | 53 | 34 | 19 |
| 11,693–14,615 | 33 | 25 | 8 |
| Total | 750 | 549 | 201 |
Table 4: Spring Award Per EFC Range and Full Time/Part Time Status
| 125% | 100% | 75% | 50% | 25% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards | EFC RANGE 0–2,923 |
EFC RANGE 2,924–5,846 |
EFC RANGE 5,847–8,769 |
EFC RANGE 8,770–11,692 |
EFC RANGE 11,693–14,615 |
| Full-Time | $2,362.50 | $2,100.00 | $1,837.50 | $1,575.00 | $1,312.50 |
| Part-Time | $1,837.50 | $1,575.00 | $1,312.50 | $1,050.00 | $787.50 |
APPLICATION BLOCK GRANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- Are a matriculated degree-seeking full or part-time undergraduate student who already received a grant under the SUNY template. The student must attest that the amount they are requesting in their application is a need above and beyond what has already been received.
- Are a matriculated degree-seeking full or part-time undergraduate student who did not complete a FAFSA application. This includes foreign students and undocumented students.
- Are a non-matriculated degree-seeking undergraduate student who is not a concurrent high school student, or is attending through the Cayuga/Cornell Prison Program, or are cross-registered students.
- Enrolled in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022.
Table 1: Award by Student Enrollment Status
Cayuga Community College established a committee that decided the above criteria for the application process. The committee decided that applicants would be awarded $60 per credit hour based on their last registration with the college.
The committee comprised of:
- Cathleen Dotterer, Vice President of Enrollment
- Nicole Adsitt, Director of Student Engagement
- Cathleen Patella, Director of Financial Aid
- Sandy Miller, Data Analyst, Institutional Research
- Shannon Patrie, Registrar
| Enrollment Status | # of Students | Award Amount |
|---|---|---|
| $60.00 per credit hour was awarded for the student’s latest registration status | 414 | $272,025 |
DISTRIBUTION OF AWARDS
Students will be sent an email to their college and/or private email indicating their eligibility for HEERF III (ARP) funds and the amount they are to receive. All students will receive the following SUNY suggested communication with their award email:
“In response to the coronavirus pandemic, funds have been made available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) to award emergency grants to students for expenses related to any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus. Eligible expenses include tuition and fees, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or childcare. This is not a loan and does not have to be paid back and will not affect your financial aid award amounts for the academic year. Students must understand it is their responsibility to notify the Financial Services Office immediately if they will not incur expenses that meet or exceed the amount of their emergency grant.
Cayuga Community College has deemed you eligible to receive an Emergency Grant based on the guidance provided by the SUNY Administration.
Your Federal HEERF III (ARP) Grant is $____.
You have two options regarding these funds:
Option 1: You will receive a direct payment of your emergency grant by electronic transfer to your account if you completed a direct deposit form or you will receive a check to your mailing address. You only need to notify the Financial Services within 5 days if you will not incur allowable expenses outlined in this email that meet or exceed the amount of your emergency grant. Our email address is financialservices@cayuga-cc.edu.
Option 2: You can apply all or a portion of your emergency grant to your outstanding tuition account balance. Your current account balance is $____. You need to notify us at financialservices@cayuga-cc.edu within 5 days if you are choosing this option and you must provide us the amount you would like to applied to your account within your email communication. The portion of your funds not applied to your account balance will be electronically transferred to your account if you completed a direct deposit form or you will receive a check to your mailing address.
Awards will be disbursed to your College account on ____.
It can take 5-7 business days from the time the funds are placed on your account before you actually receive your funds.”
CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FALL DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
- # of students registered for Fall 2021: 3631
- # of students who completed a FAFSA for Fall 2021: 1106
- # of students who received a Fall Federal Pell Grant: 710
- # of students eligible for Title IV aid, including above Pell recipients: 896
- # of students who are matriculated: 1287
- % of student body that filed a FAFSA for Fall 2021: 30% (1106/3631)
- % of student body awarded HEERF III funds: 41% (1504/3631)
- % of student body eligible for Title IV funds, including Pell Grants: 25% (896/3631)
- % of the student body that are matriculated students: 35% (1287/3631)