CRRSAA Student Emergency Grant

Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II) is authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020. This fund allows North Country Community College to provide emergency grants to students for expenses related to any component of the student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus.

North Country Community College received Student Aid funding under the CRRSAA section 314(a)(1) program. This program, with some changes, provides supplemental funds to the CARES Act section 18004(a)(1) program. North Country Community College signed and returned to the Education Department a Certification and Agreement as required under the CARES Act section 18004(a)(1) program. We acknowledge that by drawing down the CRRSAA funds, our institution agrees to be bound by the conditions set forth in the CRRSAA Supplemental Agreement including using 100% of these funds to provide emergency aid grants to students.

North Country Community College has received $555,641 from the Department of Education pursuant to the Supplemental Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under the CRRSAA Act.

Date

Reporting

Requirement

Update

March 31, 2021

Quarterly

North Country Community College has not yet distributed Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

June 30, 2021

Quarterly

Since March 31, 2021 North Country Community College has distributed $541,536 to 404 students. The total amount distributed in Emergency Financial Aid Grants to date is $541,536 to 404 students.

Spring 2021

Awarding Methodology

North Country Community College has prioritized award of Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Pell eligible and non-eligible students starting with students having the lowest Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

The Base Grant for eligible full-time students is $832 and the Base Grant for eligible part-time students is $416. The final grant award amounts were determined as follows using a template provided by the State University of New York (SUNY) that takes into consideration a student's status as full or part-time and their EFC range.

Student Award Chart

Award Amount per EFC Range and FT/PT Status

Percentage	100%	75%	50%	25%
EFC Range	0 - 1,500	1,501 - 2,900	2,901 - 4,300	4,301 - 5,711
Full-Time Student Awards	$1,664	$1456	$1,248	$1040
Part-Time Student Awards	$1,248	$1,040	$832	$624

Percentage	Flat Rate	Flat Rate	Flat Rate	Flat Rate
EFC Range	5,712 – 6,278	6,326 – 7,059	7,076 – 8,575	8,747 – 9,899
Full-Time Student Awards	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000
Part-Time Student Awards	$600	$600	$600	$600

Eligibility

In order to be eligible at the time of distribution, a student must have been enrolled in credit bearing courses at census for the spring 2021 term, filed a 2020-2021 Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA), and had a valid EFC ranging from 0 – 9,899.

HEERF II Student Aid funds may be used by students 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. Students deemed eligible for an Emergency Grant will receive an email notification regarding their award. CRRSAA Grand funds will be auto-refunded regardless of any outstanding account balance with the college unless a student affirmatively "opts in" to apply the funds to their outstanding balance. The funds will be distributed by paper check or sent electronically upon request.

Repayment

Students do not need to repay a Federal CRRSAA Emergency Grant.

Impact on Financial Aid

This funding will not have any effect on a student's current or future financial aid eligibility.

Student Communication

Dear Student,

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, funds have been made available through the CRRSAA Act to award emergency grants to students for expenses related to the any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus. Eligible expenses include tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or childcare.

The Campus has deemed you eligible to receive an emergency grant in the amount of $XXXX. This is not a loan and will not need to be paid back and will not affect your financial aid award amounts for academic year 2021-2022. Students must understand it is their responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office immediately if they will not incur expenses that meet or exceed the amount of their emergency grant.

You will receive a direct payment of your emergency grant by check. You will have 10 days to respond by submitting the below Jot Form indicating your intent for the grant payment or if you would like to apply all or a portion of your emergency grant to your outstanding account balance. Failure to respond within by the 10 day deadline will result in the full amount of the grant being issued to you in a check.

Please complete this jot form link: https://form.jotform.com/211036208422139

Sincerely,

Mary Ellen Chamberlain

Director of Financial Aid Office

An updated corrected student community was sent to the students explaining clarification:

Dear Student:

This email is to inform you the information that you were sent on April 15, 2021, regarding the NCCC Emergency Grant – HEERF II Student Grant - the following “certifications” were conveyed as a requirement and are incorrect:

I certify that I have or will incur allowable expenses of food, housing, course materials, technology, healthcare, childcare, and/or transportation as a result of the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus which equals or exceeds the amount of the CARES Act grant award.
I understand it is my responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office immediately if I will not incur expenses that meet or exceed the amount of my award.

You were deemed eligible for this grant. You did not have to self-certify any allowable expenses due to the coronavirus and the CARES Act.

The original email was to notify you of your grant amount and you had the option to “opt-in” to apply all or a portion of the grant to your outstanding balance within 10 days. All grants and checks have been processed at this time. If you have not received your funds by May 10, 2021 please contact McCayla Quinn at mquinn@nccc.edu

Please contact me if you have further questions.

Sincerely,

Mary Ellen Chamberlain

Director of Financial Aid Office