WCC CARES grant covers eligible student expenses

Student questions answered: How to apply, who qualifies, and more 

By Lilly Kujawski
Editor

For qualifying students impacted financially by WCC’s transition to online classes, grants are available through the college from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES act.

Through the federal CARES act, WCC can receive up to $4.9 million in total funds, out of which a minimum of $2,484,445 must be issued directly to students in the form of grants. The other half can be used by the college for eligible purposes. 

Who qualifies?

The grants are meant to assist low-income students with expenses specifically incurred because of the college’s change in campus operations due to COVID-19, according to Linda Blakey, executive vice president of student and academic services. 

Qualifying expenses include childcare costs, course materials needed for students to continue classes remotely, and technology and online expenses. 

When Congress first passed the CARES act, there was some thought that the money would be available to all students affected by COVID-19 and the change in college operations, Blakey said. However, certain caveats imposed since by the U.S. Department of Education have limited eligibility to students who meet particular qualifications, she said. 

“The Department of Education basically sets the parameters of how schools can use the money, and that has been kind of a moving target,” Blakey said. “It has gotten narrower and narrower, in terms of who’s eligible.”

In particular, students must meet the requirements to fill out the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Filling out the FAFSA verifies a student’s Social Security number and citizenship and requires men to sign up for the Selective Service.

That means international students, undocumented students, and students in the high school program at WCC are not eligible to apply for a CARES grant. International, undocumented, or otherwise FAFSA-ineligible students in need of financial assistance can still apply for a grant from the WCC Foundation Student Emergency Fund. 

Students must also show “satisfactory academic progress” and be enrolled in a valid program to qualify for a CARES grant, Blakey said.

What expenses are covered and how much is awarded?

At a community college, where students don’t live in dorms or pay for meal plans, the expenses that qualify a student for a CARES grant differ from those of a four-year university. 

While food, transportation and housing are considered under “cost of attendance” at WCC, those expenses were not specifically impacted by the college’s change in campus operations, and therefore do not qualify by law for the CARES grant, Blakey said.

“We had to think of the categories that our students would be impacted from our campus operations changing,” Blakey said. “So, (your) childcare might’ve been impacted because we have a childcare center, or maybe your local childcare center, and that would be impacted. Or, you had technology costs—now you need a laptop; you didn’t need a laptop before.

“I know it’s kind of confusing, and there might be a lot of other impacts that the student is having,” but the application provides room for students to explain and elaborate their specific circumstances, she said. Students who need economic assistance for an expense not covered by the CARES grant may apply for help from the Student Emergency Fund.

The CARES grants issued will be mailed as checks to students or direct-deposited into their bank account, Blakey said. The grant cannot be used to pay for tuition.

“By law, by the Department of Ed., we cannot pay tuition with the CARES grant money,” Blakey said. The college also cannot apply the money to an outstanding balance on a student’s MyWCC account.

Grants are awarded in amounts of $500, $1,000 and $1,500. The amount issued is determined by the student’s enrollment level—full time, half time, or less than half time—and the information they supply about their area of need, Blakey said.

Grant eligibility by the numbers

In the fall and winter semesters, about 42% of WCC students receive some form of federal financial aid, Blakey said. But she anticipates there may be more students than that who qualify for but haven’t filled out the FAFSA before. Students can receive money from the CARES grant even if they haven’t previously received federal aid.  

In early May, the college sent out emails to the 4,236 students who already had a valid FAFSA on file for the academic year, to notify them that they are eligible to apply for the CARES grant, Blakey said. 

The college also sent out an email to almost 3,800 students who may be eligible, and encouraged them to try to fill out the FAFSA and see if they are eligible to apply for the grant, she said.

As of May 22, 890 WCC students have been awarded a total of $945,000 in CARES grant money, Blakey said.

How are institutional funds used?

As for the rest of the CARES funds—the half designated for institutional use—there is still some uncertainty as to what it can be used for, Blakey said. 

“The student money was available sooner than the institutional money, but certainly, the same thing is happening with the institutional money that happened with the student money, in that it’s becoming narrower and narrower and narrower on what we can use the funds for,” she said. 

The institutional money cannot, for example, be used to offset revenue loss from the change in campus operations or if enrollment rates take a plunge because of the pandemic, Blakey said.  

“It’s not that broad,” Blakey said. “We’re still trying to figure out what might be eligible costs on the institutional side, but we’re thinking it’s likely that some of our institutional money will be shifted over to student grants.”

Some funds will likely also be allocated for additional software and technology to support departments that moved online, she said. 

Update your financial aid profile

Students who have lost a job, are the dependents of a parent who lost a job, or whose income was otherwise affected by COVID-19 are encouraged to call the financial aid office to have their financial aid profile adjusted to reflect the change. Students who previously did not qualify for financial aid, such as the Pell Grant, may now qualify given the change in income, Blakey said.

For questions about the CARES grant, help with the application, to update your financial aid information, and other financial aid assistance, call the financial aid office at 734-973-3523 or email finaid@wccnet.edu.

WCC will soon notify spring/summer students of potential eligibility for a CARES grant.

This story has been updated to include the number of student who have received a CARES grant so far.

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