Students from all levels of the University of Connecticut will receive the majority of funds the institution gets from the Coronavirus Assistance, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act was approved by Congress in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and includes support for higher education, including emergency grants for students facing expenses due to COVID-19.

UConn is scheduled to receive $21 million from the CARES Act, of which $10.7 million is designated for emergency grants to students. The remaining funds will be used by UConn to pay for other unexpected expenses due to COVID-19, such as the pro-rated refunds for room, board, and other fees that were returned to students.

The U.S. Department of Education recently issued guidance on the distribution of emergency grants to students. All recipients must be Title IV eligible, which requires them to have submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to UConn for the 2019-20 academic year.

UConn will be awarding grants ranging from $500 to $1000 to the neediest students from all levels of the university – undergraduate, graduate, law, medical, and dental – determined by their FAFSA. It is estimated that approximately 12,500 students will receive a grant.

Students receiving CARES Act emergency grants will be notified by the Office of Student Financial Aid Services via email in the upcoming week. To help expedite the distribution of funds, students are encouraged to sign up for Direct Deposit through the Office of the Bursar if they have not already done so.

Additional support is available to any student facing unexpected financial hardships due to COVID-19. Students can email financialaid@uconn.edu for information on assistance. Also outside of the CARES Act emergency grants, UConn will utilize an identical approach to awarding emergency grants to students who submitted the Institutional Aid Application for Undocumented Students.