The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress and signed into law to provide economic relief from COVID-19. One section of the CARES Act established the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, which provides colleges and universities funds for student emergency grants.
The college received $1,081,939 in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds to go directly to students in the form of financial grants for expenses students incurred related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. Expenses include things like technology, health care, course materials, rent, food, child care, or moving fees.
Allocating funds
How is Hope College allocating the CARES Act funds?
The Department of Education encouraged institutions to distribute the CARES Act funds as widely as possible while prioritizing students with the greatest need. Hope has allocated approximately $870,000 through the Hope CARES Grant, a standard relief grant provided to all eligible students. The remaining $212,000 is available as additional support, and allocated to students through an application process.
Grant Eligibility
Who is eligible for the Hope CARES Grant?
The U.S. Department of Education has determined that only students who meet basic federal student aid eligibility criteria can be considered for CARES Act funds. To ensure this, only students who have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are eligible. We estimate that approximately 2,150 Hope students are eligible to receive CARES Act funds.
If Hope College received your 2019–20 FAFSA before May 12, 2020, and it was determined that you were eligible to receive federal student aid, you were given the Hope CARES Grant automatically. Recipients were notified of their grant amount via email on Friday, May 15, 2020. The amount of a recipient’s grant is based on the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) as computed by the FAFSA.
Distributing funds
When and how will I receive the Hope CARES Grant?
Hope CARES Grants were processed by Business Services on Friday, May 22, 2020. Students who were set up with an electronic funds transfer received the funds that way. Otherwise, a check was mailed to the permanent home address.
Applying for funds
I never received the Hope CARES Grant, or I already did but I have incurred expenses above the grant amount. Can I still apply for funds?
There are limited CARES funds remaining for students who have incurred eligible expenses. Remember, you must have submitted a FAFSA (for 2019–20, 2020–21 or 2021–22) before being considered. Contact Business Services at busofc@hope.edu for additional information.
BUSINESS SERVICES
Anderson-Werkman Center100 East 8th StreetSuite 280Holland, MI 49423
P. 616.395.7810
COVID-19 Response Team Steering Committee
Submit questions about Hope's preparation for COVID-19 to campushealth@hope.edu
How We've used CARES Act Funds so far
Hope College signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement for CARES Act funds.
Hope College has distributed $950,713.85 of Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act as of December 31, 2020.
2,130 students have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
Hope College used FAFSA data to determine which students received the grants and Estimated Family Contribution data to determine the amount of the grants. An institutional application was also made available for additional requests.
Hope College was granted, as a part of the Department of Education CARES Act, $1,081,939 in funding for institutional relief. Through December 31, 2020, the college has recovered $1,081,939 of the $4,066,421 in refunds processed for room, board, activity fee and parking registrations due to the campus shutdown in spring 2020.
Previous Reports