The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) is authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP), Public Law 117-2, signed into law on March 11, 2021, providing $39.6 billion in support to institutions of higher education to serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ARP funds are in addition to funds authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), Public Law 116-260 and the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136. Emergency funds available to institutions and their students under all emergency funds total $76.2 billion.
UPMC Schools of Nursing (SON) were automatically eligible to participate in the two programs below based on the approval of the grant applications for the CARES Act completed in April 2020.
Program: Student Aid Portion for Public and Nonprofit Institutions
ARP Section: Section 2003(a)(1)
Eligibility: Public and Nonprofit Title IV participating institutions
Note: Students cannot apply for assistance directly from the U.S. Department of Education but should contact their institutions for further information and guidance.
View Allocation Table HereProgram: Institutional Portion for Public and Nonprofit Institutions
ARP Section: Section 2003(a)(1)
Eligibility: Public and Nonprofit Title IV participating institutions
View Allocation Table Here
The HEERF III Student Aid funding is reserved to provide students with financial aid grants, which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare.
Unlike the CARES Act, the ARP directs institutions to prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants, in awarding financial aid grants to students. However, students do not need to be Pell recipients or students who are eligible for Pell grants to be identified as having exceptional need.
As of October 1, 2021, schools are required to report HEERF Student Aid utilizing a self created template. All quarterly reports for HEERF Student Aid can be found below.
In May 2020, the US Department of Education announced a 30-day reporting requirement for all institutions participating in the HEERF Student Aid program. As of August 31, 2020, the reporting requirement has been changed to a quarterly basis.
The US Department of Education granted institutions of higher education the use of up to 50 percent of the funds they receive to cover any costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus. Institutions were also instructed that remaining funds available can also be distributed in the form of emergency grants to students.
Permissible expenses covered under the Institutional Aid portion include but are not limited to, costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction, costs associated to orders, waivers and safeguards set forth by government officials and/or outstanding expenditures associated to the loss of revenue.
On October 13, 2020 the US Department of Education released further guidance regarding the reporting requirement for the Institutional Aid funding. All institutions participating in the HEERF Institutional Aid program are required to submit reports on a quarterly basis.
