Emergency Financial Aid for College Students: What Are Your Options?
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College students without a financial safety net are in a tough spot when unexpected costs arise.
“The chances their parents can pick up the bill are not as high,” says Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia and the president and founder of The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, a research center at the university. “It’s not for lack of families wanting to; they don’t have it.”
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A spring 2020 (mid-April to mid-May) national survey by The Hope Center found that nearly three out of five of university students among 38,000 surveyed said they were experiencing basic needs insecurity. Forty-four percent of students surveyed at two-year schools and 38% of students at four-year schools said they experienced food insecurity in the previous 30 days. In addition 11% of those at two-year schools and 15% of those at four-year schools were experiencing homelessness due to the pandemic.
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What colleges are doing to help
Recognizing that a financial crisis can force a student to withdraw from classes, about three-quarters of colleges and other postsecondary schools offer some kind of help, according to a 2016 survey of emergency college aid programs by the professional association NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Programs include loans and small cash grants, dining hall vouchers and food pantries, and scholarships to complete a semester.
The impact can be significant. “We found that if you can alleviate their need in one place, it’s going to free up their finances to support other things like tuition, books, housing or rent,” says Stan Jackson, director of student affairs communications and marketing initiatives at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
Here are resources for students who need emergency help. Depending on your school's policy, you may have to provide documentation of your financial need.
Emergency cash grants for students affected by COVID-19
Colleges have a brand new pot of funding to pull from for emergency aid for students. The American Rescue Plan provides nearly $40 billion in funding to colleges and universities. They’re required to spend half on students in the form of emergency financial aid grants to be distributed through Sept. 30, 2023. As of May 11, 2021, the funds are available to all college students, including undocumented and international students.
On Jan. 20, 2022 the U.S. Department of Education announced an additional $198 million would be added to the American Rescue Plan funds for community colleges and other schools with high need.
It’s the largest pot of money allotted to students yet. In the original Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, schools received $14 billion, while the second relief package provided $22.7 billion to colleges. Both packages required colleges to use half on grants for students.
The funds can be used for technology like laptops, course material, food, housing, health care and childcare, according to the education department.
The amount a school receives is based on factors around the numbers of Pell Grant recipients enrolled. It’s up to schools to create a process for distributing funds. You’ll need to contact your financial aid office with a request for funds and provide any documentation they ask for to support your case.
Emergency tuition assistance
Contact your school’s financial aid or student affairs office to ask about emergency programs, which could include emergency grants for students, completion scholarships, emergency student loans or vouchers. Usually this money can pay for tuition, housing, books, supplies and transportation.
For example, at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, assistance is available for students who face emergencies such as losing their job, eviction or utility shut-off. The fund has provided students with over $78,000 in grants and loans since 2014, according to Dave Murray, a school spokesperson.
Emergency college food options
If you don’t have consistent access to food, contact your school’s student affairs office to learn about programs such as food vouchers, scholarships, free meal plans, access to SNAP benefits and food pantries.
At the University of Georgia, where Jackson says 10% of the population is affected by food insecurity, students can apply for yearlong food scholarships that award meal plans. There’s also a campus food pantry.
Food pantries usually stock nonperishable foods, but some may also have fresh food and items such as cleaning supplies and hygiene products, says Clare Cady, co-founder and director of the College and University Food Bank Alliance, which has 626 member schools.
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The food pantry at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, provides about 20,000 meals per semester, says Nicole Hindes, assistant director of the university’s human services resource center. Hindes says free dining hall vouchers are the most heavily utilized program.
“They can spend time studying with their friends and not feel out of place meeting at the dining hall,” Hindes says. “The food pantry is more cost-effective, but the food assistance program is one that students like and resonates with them.”
Temporarily expanded SNAP benefits for college students
The Education Department, as part of the COVID relief package, expanded SNAP benefits to reach more students beginning Jan. 16, 2021. It will be in effect until 30 days after the COVID-19 public health emergency is lifted. Students enrolled at least half-time can temporarily receive SNAP benefits if they:
• Are eligible to participate in state or federally financed work study during the academic year.
• Have an expected family contribution of 0 in the current academic year (including student eligible for the maximum Pell Grant)
Housing assistance for college students
Few schools have emergency housing, and options are often limited.
“There really isn’t a good housing solution,” says Daphne Hernandez, a University of Houston researcher who is conducting a study of food scholarship effectiveness at Houston Community Colleges. “Four walls and a roof is a little more difficult than food.”
Find out from your school’s housing or student affairs office if there is an on-campus emergency residency program. Some schools set aside dorm rooms. The office of student affairs at your school may also point to off-campus housing solutions including short-term sublets, apartments, youth shelters or room shares.
If your campus closes its housing temporarily or for the remainder of the semester, ask about options for students who cannot leave. During the coronavirus crisis, for example, colleges often allowed vulnerable students to stay on campus, such as homeless and international students.
Discounted broadband access
Pell Grant recipients are eligible for a discount of up to $30 per month (or up to $75 per month for eligible households on qualifying Tribal lands) for broadband internet service. The discount is made available under a temporary program administered by the Federal Communications Commission. The Emergency Broadband Benefit program expired after December 2021 and is replaced by the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Students who received their Pell Grant during the current school year are eligible to receive the monthly discount. Participating households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 for one connected device (laptop, desktop or tablet) but they must contribute between $10 and $50 toward the cost of the device.
To apply, Pell Grant recipients must do one of the following:
Contact their preferred participating broadband Internet provider directly.
Go to Affordable Connectivity Program to apply online or print a mail-in application.
Eligible students can learn more at fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit or call 877-384-2575.
Finding long-term solutions
Emergency college aid programs tend to be short-term fixes that aren’t intended to replace federal aid. Be sure to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, each year. You may need to appeal if you don’t receive enough aid or an unexpected situation arises, such as unemployment, medical expenses or the death of a caregiver.
To appeal your aid offer, even midyear, contact your school’s financial aid office. Be prepared to:
Detail your circumstances.
Ask the office to reconsider your aid award.
Provide any documentation to support your claim.
This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.
