The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, includes a Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, or HEERF. The fund provides $7.1 million to help DePaul students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.
According to the Department of Education, students who have completed a FAFSA, are Title IV aid eligible and were enrolled in what were intended to be face-to-face classes when DePaul closed its campus on March 13, 2020, are eligible to apply.
Students who meet these criteria will receive an email in the coming weeks with a simple two-question application. The application asks students if they experienced expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus and if they wish to be considered for a CARES grant or defer funding to other students.
Applications will be reviewed and processed as quickly as possible. The Department of Education has not yet sent DePaul the funding. When it does, eligible students will receive a grant of $500. Because funding is limited, students should complete the application as quickly as possible. Applications will be considered until June 15.
For students who are eligible to apply for the FAFSA but have not completed it, they need to do so before they can be considered for CARES Act grants. These students are highly encouraged to complete the FAFSA before June 15. An application for CARES Act grants will be emailed to these students after their FAFSA applications have been verified.