CARES grants still available for eligible WCC students

By Cydney Heed
Staff Writer

Nearly $1.5 million in emergency financial aid grants–money from the CARES Act passed by Congress on Mar. 27–have helped over a thousand eligible WCC students as of Aug. 13, 2020.

WCC may receive up to $4.8 million in total through CARES and at least 50% of that money must go to students in the form of emergency financial aid.

According to the WCC CARES Grant Reporting page, “As of Aug. 13, 2020, the estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate… and eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants is 6,219.”

Students may apply for help with expenses related to the cancellation of in-person classes, including technology, internet access, course materials, and childcare.

“Funds were allocated to institutions—colleges—to help students with expenses that they would incur due to the disruption of on-campus and really in-person classes,” said Lori Trapp, director of financial aid at WCC.

A student must have filed or be eligible to file a FAFSA in order to apply for CARES funds. Students who apply before Sept. 3 could receive funds as early as Sept. 10, Trapp said.

Once a student’s CARES application is approved, the cashier’s office will distribute the funds through either direct deposit or a check.

Grants are awarded in the amounts of $500, $1,000, and $1,500, with $1500 being the most a student can receive. The amount is determined based on how many credits a student is taking and which areas they apply for assistance with.

“We check to make sure that a student is making academic progress based on their course completion rate and their GPA,” Trapp said.

A student must also be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, have a valid Social Security number, and be registered for the draft if required.

“We determine that eligibility by a student completing a FAFSA. When we’re looking to determine eligibility the FAFSA looks at many things,” said Trapp. “When student eligibility is determined for FAFSA it is not all based on need.”

Students who would like to apply should do so online here.

“Any student who’s lost a job, had a reduction in income, parents who have lost a job or had a reduction in income, should contact financial aid,” Trapp said. “We work with a student individually to look at their individual family’s situation so that we can help them increase their eligibility for different types of financial aid.”

For more information about CARES and other financial resources, students can visit WCC’s website or contact the financial aid office.

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