Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Notices (3)

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Notice   
(updated Oct. 28, 2020)

October 28, 2020
On March 27, 2020 the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) was signed into federal law. Included in the Act was the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to support college students whose education was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic with financial grants. These emergency grants are intended to assist students with unanticipated expenses for food, housing, academic course materials, technology, health care and childcare.

Norwich University applied for and received funding under this program and used no less than half the amount, or $1,002,307, for emergency financial grants to students. Per Department of Education (DOE) guidance, the university made direct cash grants to students. Grants were prioritized based on socioeconomic circumstance. Students must have met federal eligibility requirements and could not have been exclusively enrolled in an online program prior to March 13, 2020 in order to qualify to receive HEERF emergency funds. The university has distributed $1,002,307 to 955 students. This represents approximately 46% of the 2,095 CARES eligible students.

Following the parameters of DOE guidance, Norwich created its eligibility calculation using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Grants were provided to students who met federal eligibility criteria and had an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $10,972 or less. Eligible expenses were calculated using the average daily national reimbursement rate as defined by the federal government for room, meals, and incidentals. This total average daily rate of $151 was multiplied by the number of days students were not able to remain on campus for the spring semester (57 days), for a total cost proxy of $8,607. Eligible students received a percentage of this proxy in an amount of $880, $1,050, or $1,200 depending on their EFC.

These funds are emergency relief grants provided by the federal government and are not considered to be part of a student’s typical financial aid package. Additionally, per the Internal Revenue Service, these funds are categorized as disaster relief payments under section 130 of the Internal Revenue Code and are excluded from taxable income.

Every student who was enrolled on March 13, 2020 in a residential program received an email notice regarding how the CARES program impacts them. Students were provided with the option to decline the grant if they were an eligible recipient.

This is the final report on the disposition of Section 18004(a)(1) Student Portion funds.

Institutional Portion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

Norwich University reviewed, signed, and returned the U.S. Department of Education’s Certification and Agreement for the Institutional Portion of HEERF funds on July 1, 2020. We received our grant award notification on July 2, 2020. On July 2, 2020 Norwich requested an additional $1,002,307 under Section 18004(a)(1) and 18004(c) of the CARES Act.

In accordance with Section 18004(c), Norwich University may use the institutional portion of the CARES HEERF funding to defray costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus. This may include reimbursement for costs related to refunds made to students for housing, food or other services the University could no longer provide. When we transitioned to remote instruction in March, 2020 to mitigate the University community’s risk of contracting the coronavirus the reduction in revenue was approximately $2.9 million. You may find the Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting Under CARES Act here (167KB PDF). This is the final report on the disposition of institutional portion of HEERF funds.

Funds will not be used for payments to contractors for the provision of pre-enrollment activities, including marketing and advertising; endowments; or capital outlays associated with facilities related to athletics, sectarian instruction, or religious worship.

Questions related to the use of the Institutional Portion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund may be directed to Norwich’s Chief Financial Officer, Mrs. Lauren Wobby, at laurenw@norwich.edu.

Last Updated: October 28, 2020

Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) Notification

February 23, 2021
Initial Notification

On December 27, 2020 the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) was signed into federal law. Norwich University received funding under this program for the express purpose of providing financial aid grants to students. Per Department of Education guidance, the funds must be prioritized for students with exceptional need. Students may use the grant for a component of their cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare. If a student chooses, the grant may be used to satisfy his or her account’s outstanding balance.

Norwich University received $1,002,307 under this program for emergency financial grants to students. Per Department of Education (DOE) guidance, the funds must be used for cash grants to students. Students enrolled in exclusively distance education courses are eligible for a grant. CRRSSA requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need.

Following the parameters of DOE guidance, Norwich is using information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to measure socioeconomic status. Grants will be provided to students with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $11,000 and will range from $625 to $1,000. Approximately 1,250 students are eligible for a grant.

These funds are emergency relief grants provided by the federal government and are not considered to be part of a student’s typical financial aid package. Additionally, per the Internal Revenue Service, these funds are categorized as disaster relief payments under section 130 of the Internal Revenue Code and are excluded from taxable income.

HEERF grants will be provided directly to students through our normal refund system, NUPay. Students who have not already done so can provide direct deposit banking information by logging into their NUPay Account and selecting Manage Refunds. If we do not have direct deposit information for a student, a check will be sent to the mailing address of record.

Grants are expected to be distributed the week of March 1, 2021. All residential students enrolled on February 4, 20201 will receive an email notice regarding how the CARES program impacts them. Online students enrolled on February 4, 20201 who are eligible to receive a grant will also receive an email notice. Upon receipt of an email, eligible students who have questions regarding their grant are encouraged to contact the Bursar’s Office via email at nubursar@norwich.edu or by telephone at (802) 485-2634.

FINAL: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) II | Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) Notification

March 23, 2021
Final Notification

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) was signed into federal law on December 27, 2020. The Act included the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) II to support college students whose education has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with financial grants. Norwich University received funding under this program for the specific purpose of providing financial aid grants to students.

Per Department of Education (DOE) guidance, the HEERF funds must be prioritized for students with exceptional need. Students may use the grant for a component of their cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare. If a student chooses, the grant may be used to satisfy his or her account’s outstanding balance.

Norwich University received $1,002,307 under this program for emergency financial grants to students. All enrolled matriculated students on February 4th, including students enrolled in exclusively distance education courses, were eligible for consideration of a grant.

Following the parameters of DOE guidance, Norwich created its eligibility calculation using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data to measure socioeconomic status. Grants were provided to students with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $11,000 or less and grants ranged from $625 to $1,000. The university distributed $1,003,750 in grants to 1,248 students. This represents approximately 35% of the 3,569 CRRSSA eligible students.

These funds are emergency relief grants provided by the federal government and are not considered to be part of a student’s typical financial aid package. Additionally, per the Internal Revenue Service, these funds are categorized as disaster relief payments under section 130 of the Internal Revenue Code and are excluded from taxable income.

Grant notification and distribution occurred the week of February 22, 2021. All residential students enrolled on February 4, 2021 received an email notice regarding how the CRRSSA program impacted them. Online students enrolled on February 4, 2021 who were eligible to receive a grant also received an email notice. Students with direct deposit information on record received their grant on March 1, 2021. Students without direct deposit capability received their grant by check within two weeks of notification.

Questions related to the distribution of the Student Aid Portion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II may be directed to Norwich’s Vice President for Enrollment Management, Greg Matthews, at gmatthe2@norwich.edu.

This is the final report on the disposition of Section 314(a)(1) Student Portion funds.

Last Updated: March 23, 2021