CARES Act

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

Use of Funds - (a)(1) Student Portion

Dear Students:

Recently, the Federal government passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide support for businesses and students. Higher education institutions were included in the Act, and the U.S. Department of Education determined amounts for institutions. Through the CARES Act, University of Arkansas Rich Mountain (UARM) was allocated a total of $542,150, half of which ($271,075) is to be provided directly to qualifying students under regulations provided to institutions by the Department of Education.

The institution signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification of Agreement and that 50 percent of the funds received will be awarded as set forth under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

UA Rich Mountain has submitted the Certification for funds to the Department.

How many students were awarded at UA Rich Mountain under the CARES Act?

UA Rich Mountain awarded 76 percent of the $271,075 to students enrolled for the spring semester. Realizing that there will be students still in need for fall, UA Rich Mountain will use the remaining 24 percent of funds to disburse to incoming fall 2020 students as eligibility is determined.

After eligibility was determined, 308 students enrolled for the spring 2020 semester were awarded funds through the CARES Act Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

The remaining 24% of funds will be disbursed to incoming students as eligibility is determine.

Update for March 31, 2022

Of the funds UARM received in the third round of ARP Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) student distributions of $503,388 were made during the quarter spanning January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022. Of the funds UARM received from an additional Strengthening Institutions Program grant (SIP Additional Grant), distributions to students that are enrolled for Spring 2022 and met Title IV eligibly criterion began. UARM will be distributing $495,824.70 to students for Academic Year 2021-2022. These funds began to be disbursed after September 1, 2021 and will continue to be disbursed into the Spring 2022 semester. The following awards have been made for Spring 2022 during the first quarter as of 3/31/22:

Total Eligible Students	Ineligible Students	Total Students Awarded
443	0	443

UARM used the same criteria for these funds as the HEERF III funds received in May 2021. The addition to this group of awards were students that were enrolled in all online courses. UARM was able to award funds to these students. UARM also used the 2020-2021 FAFSA data to determine eligibility.

Update for December 31, 2021

Of the funds UARM received in the third round of ARP Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) no student distributions were made during the quarter spanning October 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. Of the funds UARM received from an additional Strengthening Institutions Program grant (SIP Additional Grant), distributions to students that are enrolled for Fall 2021 and met Title IV eligibly criterion began. UARM will be distributing $287,163 to students for Academic Year 2021-2022. These funds began to be disbursed after September 1, 2021 and will continue to be disbursed into the Spring 2022 semester. The following awards have been made for Fall 2021 during the fourth quarter in the amount of $7,563 as of 12/31/21:

Total Eligible Students	Ineligible Students	Total Students Awarded
13	0	13

Update for September 30, 2021

Of the funds UARM received in the third round of ARP Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) distributions to students that are enrolled for Fall 2021 and met Title IV eligibly criterion began. UARM will be distributing $1,036,399 to students for Acadenic Year 2021-2022. These funds will be disbursed after the week of September 6-10, 2021. The following award have been made for Fall 2021 in the amount of $533,011.30 as of 9/30/21:

Total Eligible Students	Ineligible Students	Total Students Awarded
531	32	499

Update for June 30, 2021

UARM received a third round of ARP Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) funds to distribute to students that are enrolled for spring 2021 and met Title IV eligibly criterion. UARM will be distributing $1,036,399 to students for Fall 2021. These funds will be disbursed after the week of September 6-10, 2021. The following awards were made from HEERF II funds for Spring 2021 and account for the entire $271,075 award amounts:

Total Eligible Students	Ineligible Students	Total Students Awarded
388	27	361

The funds distribution criteria used for these HEERF III funds are included below. The addition to this group of awards were students that were enrolled in all online courses. UARM was able to award funds to these students. UARM also used the 2020-2021 FAFSA data to determine eligibility.

HEERF III Fund Distribution Criteria

Update for March 11, 2021

UARM received a second round of CRRSAA Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) funds to distribute to students that are enrolled for spring 2021 and met Title IV eligibly criterion. UARM will be distributing $271,126 to students for spring 2021. These funds will be disbursed after we week of March 15-19, 2021. The following award amounts are set for the spring 2021:

Enrollment	Amount
Per credit hour	$54.00
Per credit hour, all online	$62.00

UARM used the same criteria for these funds as the CARES funds received in spring 2020. The addition to this group of awards were students that were enrolled in all online courses. UARM was able to award funds to these students. UARM also used the 2020-2021 FAFSA data to determine eligibility.

Update for September 11, 2020

Remaining CARES funds were distributed to students that were returning students from spring 2020 and met Title IV eligibly criterion. These funds were disbursed after the census date for the fall 2020 term. 154 Students were awarded funds in the amount of $64,423.00. Disbursement amounts are as follows:

Enrollment Status	Amount
1/4 time	$200.00
1/2 time	$436.00
3/4 time	$436.00
Full Time	$436.00
20 HRS and UP	$438.00

An additional $206,652 was applied to student account balances.

May 26, 2020 was the first disbursement of CARES funds. Below is the qualifications.

Who qualifies?

Eligibility: The eligibility requirements listed below match those that the Department of Education created for this program so that institutions have guidelines to follow for distributing these funds:

Must have FAFSA on file (or be eligible to file a FAFSA in the 2019-20 aid year*)
Must not have been enrolled in exclusively online courses prior to March 13, 2020
Meet satisfactory progress
Not a concurrent student
Not a transient student
Not a 60+ waiver recipient
Not an international or non-citizen student (International students and DACA students are not eligible for the CARES Act funds)

How much money will I receive?

The amount received will vary depending on credit hours enrolled at UARM for the spring 2020 semester. UA Rich Mountain will award students $51 per credit hour. The Department of Education asked us to prioritize students who already demonstrated financial need through Pell Grant eligibility and awards and the students who were most disrupted, such as those living on campus or graduating in May 2020 due to the change in campus operations as a result of COVID-19.

We have decided to pay students based upon hours enrolled as of March 13, 2020.

How will I get the money?

Students’ checks will be mailed to the address on file. It is important that students check their address in the student portal. If it is incorrect, follow the steps received in the email from Chancellor Wilson on updating your account. You can also click on the following link to update address.

Name and/or Address Change Form

Pending availability of funds, we are estimating disbursement of funds starting May 26, 2020. Please note that the date is dependent upon the college receiving funds from the Department. We are currently waiting to receive the above funds.

When will I get the money?

We will mail checks on May 26, 2020. Pending availability of funds.

*I did not complete a FAFSA, but I still meet all of the other eligibility requirements, so can I receive CARES Act student emergency funds?

UA Rich Mountain awarded funds based upon Title IV eligibility. Even if the student did not complete FAFSA, funds were still disbursed after review of Title IV eligibility criterion. If you did not receive funds and did not file a FAFSA, contact the Office of Financial Aid at financialaid@uarichmountain.edu or call 479-394-7622, ext. 1420, 1421, or 1424.

HEERF II Emergency Grant Opt-In Request Form