Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Aid Application

Purpose

Gordon College is a recipient of the U.S. Department of Education Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund as part of the CARES Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, and the American Rescue Plan. Per the grant regulations, Gordon College has used funding to provide emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted due to COVID-19. Emergency financial aid grants to students defray expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.

In April 2020, Gordon College received $655,626 (HEERF I) to support students through the CARES Act. In January 2021, Gordon received an additional disbursement of $655,626 (HEERF II) with expanded guidelines to include freshman students, allow for tuition assistance to be included in eligible expenses and to give students the option of having awards applied directly to their student accounts. In May 2021, funds were made available under the American Rescue Plan (HEERF III). The college received a third payment and allocated $1,772,925 for direct support to students.

Eligibility

As per the Department of Education:

Institutions are directed to prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants or are undergraduates with extraordinary financial circumstances in awarding emergency financial aid grants to students.
Beyond Pell eligibility, other types of exceptional need could include students who may be eligible for other federal or state need-based aid or have faced significant unexpected expenses, such as the loss of employment (either for themselves or their families), reduced income, or food or housing insecurity. In addition, emergency financial aid grants to students may be provided to students exclusively enrolled in distance education provided the institution prioritizes exceptional need.
All students who are or were enrolled in an institution of higher education during the COVID-19 national emergency are eligible for emergency financial aid grants from the HEERF, regardless of whether they completed a FAFSA or are eligible for Title IV. That includes citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylum seekers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, other DREAMers, and similar undocumented students.
International students may also receive HEERF provided the institution prioritizes exceptional need.
The student emergency financial aid grant is provided to the student, and may be used by the student 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 child care.

How to apply

Applications are closed at this time, and more information regarding funding will be posted as it is available.

Application Process

Gordon College Student Financial Services will review all applications. A representative from Student Financial Services will make you aware of the results of your application within approximately two weeks.

The application process is on a rolling basis. Once funds are depleted Gordon College will update this website and close the application.

Other helpful information

All questions or concerns should be submitted to [email protected]
Funding from this opportunity will not impact or replace work-study funding or financial aid packages to Gordon College.
If you or a family member have experienced unemployment, medical costs not covered by insurance or other unusual circumstances, you may be eligible for a financial aid adjustment. Please contact Student Financial Services at [email protected].
Funding received from this opportunity does not need to be repaid.
Students may choose to have award applied to their student account or paid to them directly.

Federally mandated reporting related to HEERF funding can be found here ➔