Wright State to issue CARES Act funds to eligible students

Wright State University will help students impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic by disbursing more than $5 million in federal funds to eligible students this month.

Wright State will issue mass emergency financial grants totaling approximately $4.8 million to more than 5,700 students who attended in the spring 2020 semester.

The university will also provide $250,000 in federal Higher Education Emergency Relief funds to supplement the private donations and fundraising events held to benefit the Wright State University Foundation’s Student Emergency Relief Fund.

“We believe this effort will provide some financial relief to a broad range of spring 2020 students who experienced disruption as a result of COVID-19,” said Kim Everhart, director of financial aid.

Wright State will begin issuing awards the week of May 11 with the goal of completing the process by May 22.

The CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) provides funding to institutions to provide emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted, many of whom are facing financial challenges and struggling to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wright State received an award of $5,070,423 from the U.S. Department of Education to provide direct relief to students who attended in spring 2020 and experienced disruption due to COVID-19.

More than 5,700 Wright State students — including undergraduate, graduate, School of Professional Psychology and Boonshoft School of Medicine students — are eligible.

Student must meet certain eligibility requirements to receive CARES Act HEERF funding:

• Degree seeking
• Continued enrollment for the spring 2020 semester
• Enrolled in one or more face-to face course that was converted to remote instruction after March 13, 2020
• Title IV eligible: Student filed a FAFSA and completed all outstanding requirements to receive federal financial aid prior to May 1, 2020, and met satisfactory academic progress standards

Wright State will automatically award students who meet the above eligibility requirements. Funds will be disbursed based on each student’s FAFSA. Each student who receives funding will get an email explaining the details of the funding.

HEERF funds are available to assist students with the additional expenses they incurred from the disruption of campus operations from the coronavirus. These expenses include food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and childcare.

Funds cannot be awarded to non-degree students; international students including undocumented and DACA students; or students who were enrolled in courses exclusively taught in a remote or online distance learning environment on or before March 13, 2020.

More information about the HEERF is available on Wright State’s coronavirus website.

Wright State will contribute $250,000 of the CARES Act funds to supplement the Student Emergency Relief Fund, which is managed by the Wright State University Foundation in coordination with Student Advocacy and Wellness. The Student Emergency Relief Fund provides financial assistance to Dayton or Lake Campus students for food, toiletries, medications, other supplies and travel expenses to return home.

Students who have not received a HEERF grant by May 22 are encouraged to apply for the Student Emergency Relief Fund at wright.edu/StudentRelief.

Students who have questions about the application process for the Emergency Relief Fund should contact Destinee Biesemeyer, associate director for student advocacy and wellness, at studentadvocacyandwellness@wright.edu.

Students are only eligible to receive one financial emergency grant as a result of the COVID-19 disruption.