EDTECH: What are the new requirements that colleges and universities should be mindful of?
GONZALEZ: The new HEERF III funding offers various updated eligibility requirements for both the student and institutional portions of the funding.
To be considered for emergency grants, students are no longer required to be Title IV eligible. Practically speaking, this means undocumented and international students are now eligible too.
The grants are available to students who were enrolled on or after March 13, 2020. These students may have faced unexpected expenses, loss of employment, reduced income and food or housing insecurity as a result of the pandemic.
Additionally, students who are exclusively enrolled in distance education are eligible for emergency grants under HEERF III. (This was actually included as part of the earlier Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021.)
The institutional portion may be used to monitor and suppress COVID-19 in a way that is in accordance with public health guidelines. This includes providing PPE to students, faculty and staff; cleaning and disinfection; redesigning food service facilities; enhancing ventilation, etc. As with previous rounds of HEERF funding, the institutional portion may also be used to offset lost revenue.