Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-22) welcomed the announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that it would begin releasing financial assistance to college students as part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund provided in the CARES Act.
As the first round of funding, the Education Department is directing $6.28 billion to colleges and universities across the country to be then distributed to students to help cover expenses related to the pandemic, including food and housing. Schools are given discretion to determine the size of these grants and students’ eligibility to receive them.
On April 6, Congressman Deutch urged Secretary Betsy DeVos to expeditiously distribute the $14 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief funds provided by the CARES Act, including the $7 billion in emergency financial aid grants students urgently need.
Congressman Deutch said, “I appreciate the decision to prioritize students' urgent need for this relief. Their lives have been upended by this pandemic, including their housing and food supplies. This is a welcome first step putting their urgent needs first. However, as I outlined in my letter this week, Secretary DeVos must still clarify the guidance for these funds:
| 1. Why has the Department given institutions an entire year to distribute these funds to students when they have pressing need for the money now? | |
| 2. When can our schools expect to have access to the remaining funds? | |
| 3. What oversight is being done to ensure that every dollar is getting to students to meet their challenges arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic? | |
| 4. When will the emergency student grant funds reserved for HBCUs and other minority serving institutions be released? |
"I hope Secretary DeVos will promptly respond to my April 6 letter and give further clarity to our students and college and universities to ensure the funds reach their proper destination as Congress intended. Oversight of this program will be vital to ensure every dollar of this emergency aid will end up in the hands of students in need to meet the challenges arising out of this pandemic."
Some of the South Florida colleges and universities receiving funding include:
Broward College will receive $27,154,901, with a minimum of $13,577,451 to be awarded to students as emergency financial aid grants.
Florida Atlantic University will receive $22,429,874, with a minimum of $11,214,937 to be awarded to students as emergency financial aid grants.
Palm Beach State College will receive $18,933,435 with a minimum of $9,466,718 to be awarded to students as emergency financial aid grants.
Lynn University will receive $1,935,875 with a minimum of $967,938 to be awarded to students as emergency financial aid grants.
The allocation breakdown by college and university can be viewed here.
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