Federal legislation titled the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was passed to provide economic relief to individuals and organizations dealing with the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this CARES Act, a Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) was established for colleges and universities.
On April 17, 2020, North Hennepin Community College (NHCC) signed and returned to the US Department of Education the Certification and Agreement in order to receive HEERF money. NHCC has committed to using no less than $1,510,713 which is 50 percent of the HEERF money received to provide emergency grant aid to students.
An estimated 3,140 students are eligible to participate in the Federal student financial aid programs under Section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and thus are eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
Student eligibility requirements for a CARES Emergency Grant payment include:
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Enrollment in at least a one credit course offered on-campus with face to face instruction prior to the campus moving to all online courses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic for spring semester 2020.
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Enrolled in a course that continued through or started on or after March 8, 2020.
Federal guidelines placed restrictions on who is eligible to receive the CARES Emergency Grant payments. Students who fall under any one of the following criteria, are not eligible for a CARES Emergency Grant:
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High school students (including PSEO and concurrent enrollment)
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International F1 VISA and DACA/Dream Act students
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Students registered for only online courses since the start of the spring semester
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Students that received the discounted senior tuition rate
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Incarcerated students
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Employees of MN State using their tuition benefits to pay for their own classes
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Students who totally withdrew or stopped attending all courses prior to March 8, 2020.
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Students that already received a CARES Emergency Grant payment from another MN State school
Emergency grant payments were released to students on May 6, 2020, through the refund preference the student set up with BankMobile. If the student selected BankMobile, the grant funds were available the same day. If the student selected direct deposit to another bank account, the grant funds would have been available within approximately 2 business days.
All eligible students received an email at their NHCC email address on May 6 informing them of their eligibility, method of payment, and option to apply for additional funds. A letter containing the same information was also mailed to their home addresses on May 7. All ineligible students received an email on May 6 informing them of their ineligibility and other resource options available.
Eligible students can login to eServices, choose “Bills and Payments” and “View Account Detail” to see the amount of the grant payment disbursed to them. All eligible students received a $275 base grant payment to assist with expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19 such as food, housing, technology, health care, and child care. Students that demonstrated increased need through the FAFSA by receiving a Federal Pell or MN State Grant disbursement this spring semester received an additional $400 supplemental grant payment.
Approximately 5% of the HEERF money is being used for additional awards through an emergency grant application process. Students could complete an online application to request up to an additional $1,500 in emergency grant assistance. The online application was closed as of May 14, 2020, due to the high volume of applications received.
As of August 7, 2020, 3,140 students have received a total of $1,570,584 in CARES Emergency Grant payments.
Students who had applied for additional CARES Emergency Grant assistance were notified of their application status through their NHCC email address.
The NHCC Accounting and Fees Office continues to reach out to students through their NHCC email if they have not yet set up their refund preference through BankMobile with instructions on how to complete that process.
Information about additional resources and support can be found on our COVID-19 student resources webpage.