American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA)
The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) is authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package; Public Law 117-2, signed into law on March 11, 2021. The ARPA builds upon the CARES and CRRSAA, previous HEERF funds, and totals almost $170 billion for education. This ARPA funding toward education is in addition to the CRRSAA funding of $81.88 billion, which was approved in December 2020 in support for education and the $30.75 billion provided in the spring of 2020 through the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136.
HEERF III Emergency Funding for Students
ARPA includes emergency grants for students facing expenses due to COVID-19. Similar to the CRRSAA grant funding, ARPA must be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus, such as tuition & fees, food, housing, book & supplies, transportation, technology, personal education expenses, healthcare (mental or physical) or child care.
The University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu (UHWO) has been granted $2,732,015 from the U.S. Department of Education for the ARPA emergency grants for students.
Current Distribution of Emergency Grants to Students
- Initial Funding of Grant Funds – UH West O‘ahu has distributed $909,306 to 1,651 students as of July 21, 2021.
- Second Funding of Grant Funds – UH West O‘ahu has distributed $2,309,201 to 2,693 students as of Nov. 24, 2021.
- Third Funding of Grant Funds – UH West O‘ahu has distributed $432,814 to 1,104 students as of May 5, 2022.
- UH West O‘ahu has distributed all of its allocated $2,732,015 ARPA student emergency grant funds as of May 5, 2022.
Funding Methodology
Initial Round of Funding:
UH West O‘ahu based the initial round of ARPA student grant eligibility on the following criteria:
- Current enrolled and continuing students on July 16, 2021 for the Fall 2021 term,
- And using the 2020-21 FAFSA data to determine the need level of students.
UH West Oʻahu strongly feels that all students have a need for additional student grant funds during this pandemic due to the demographic populations we primarily serve. The changes in class modality and unexpected hardships in their lives due to COVID-19 only exacerbated their situations. UH West Oʻahu has tried to give all known eligible students some funds while recognizing the federal guidance to prioritize the neediest students. UH West Oʻahu has used the EFC from the FAFSA to identify the neediest students. To prioritize the neediest students while also understanding the needs of all eligible students, we have determined that the highest grant amounts per student and the majority of funding will go to the neediest students. UH West Oʻahu has designated roughly 75% of it’s funding to students who have a primary EFC below 10,000. All other eligible FAFSA filers who have a primary EFC of 10,000 and greater will be distributed 10% of funds in equal amounts. 11% was distributed to FAFSA non-filers in equal amounts and an additional 4% will be awarded in various amounts equal to the above need levels to those who received some sort of debt forgiveness from UH West Oʻahu.
While we feel that many students have much higher financial needs than the amounts given, our hope is that these grants will help alleviate some of the financial burdens brought on by COVID-19 to help provide toward a student’s cost of attendance.
The funding model is outlined below:
| EFC Range | Amount per Student |
|---|---|
| 0 to 5,999 | $910 |
| 6,000 to 9,999 | $770 |
| 10,000 and above | $250 |
| FAFSA Non-Filers | $225 |
| Others | Various amounts of equaling similar funding levels above. |
Second Round of Funding:
UH West O‘ahu based the second round of ARPA student grant eligibility on the following criteria:
- Current enrolled students on Nov. 3, 2021 for the Fall 2021 term,
- And using the 2021-22 FAFSA data to determine the need level of students.
UHWO has prioritized students with exceptional need while still recognizing that all of our students have been affected by the ongoing economic crisis, which is an impact of the pandemic, and the shift in learning modalities during this time. In doing this, all eligible students, as determined on Nov. 3, 2021, were awarded ARPA student emergency grant funds using the same methodology as the initial round of funding. Roughly, 76% of this distribution of funds were given to students with a primary EFC below 10,000. All other eligible FAFSA filers received about 9% of the funds and 14% were given to eligible students who did not file the FAFSA. There were no varying amounts with debt forgiveness given in this round of funding. See chart under previous initial round of funding for specific EFC and amounts per student.
Third Round of Funding:
UH West O‘ahu based the eligibility of the third round of ARPA student grants by giving it to the neediest students, as defined by our institution, who were enrolled on May 2, 2022. The neediest students are defined by UH West O‘ahu as those who have an EFC less than 10,000.
The criteria used was as follows:
- Current enrolled students on May 2, 2022 for the Spring 2022 term,
- And using the 2021-22 FAFSA data to determine the need level of students with any EFC less than 10,000.
Due to the limited remaining student grant funding, only the neediest students were prioritized for receiving the third round of funds. This disbursement of student grant funds will exhaust all initial ARPA emergency student grant funds allocated to UHWO. Although we always feel that all our students have been and are still affected by the pandemic, our limited remaining funds prohibited all enrolled students from receiving a meaningful amount of funds. The following amounts were awarded to students based on their FAFSA EFC:
| EFC Range | Amount per Student |
|---|---|
| 0 to 5,999 | $410 |
| 6,000 to 9,999 | $307 |
| 10,000 and above | $306 |
Eligibility
The general eligibility criteria for the ARPA emergency grants for students are broader than the previous HEERF funding in that, according to the U.S. Department of Education, recipients must be a current student; and priority must be given to the neediest students (as defined by the institution).
Learning from our experiences with the HEERF I (CARES Act) student funds, we will not require an application to award the HEERF III (ARPA) student grant funds. The FAFSA will be used to identify the need levels of students. All eligible students for the initial distribution of funds were identified on Friday, July 16, 2021. Eligibility for the second distribution of funds was determined on Wednesday, November 3, 2021. All eligible enrolled students from the initial and second distributions were given a student grant fund but at varying amounts based on the student’s need level. Eligibility for the third distribution of funds was determined on Monday, May 2, 2022. Due to the limited remaining funds from the initial ARPA student emergency grant allocation, only the neediest enrolled students were given a student grant from the third distribution of funds based on the student’s level of need. See above for third round amounts and need levels.
Method of Payment of Grant Funds
The ARPA emergency grant funds will be disbursed directly to students via their student account. The funds will simply pass through the student account and will not be applied to any student account charges. Students who have set up ACH (Automated Clearing House) refunds with the University of Hawaiʻi (on MyUH Services) to their bank account will be sent their grant funds directly to their associated bank account. This method is recommended and it is recommended that all students sign up ACH refunds. All other students without ACH will be mailed a check for the grant funds awarded.