Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

CARES Act

With the passage and signing into law of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES ) Act signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020, the University of Guam will receive $4.5 million — with an initial direct distribution to students of approximately $2.3 million for emergency financial aid grants to help cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus.

UOG distributes CARES Act funds to students

May 4, 2020

The University of Guam today began the distribution of CARES Act funds. In this first round, 487 students will receive funds through direct deposit or by mail.

Full-time students will receive $747.03, and part-time students will receive $560.27.

“We were notified of the availability of funds on Friday, and our Business Office immediately went to work processing payments to our students,” said UOG President Thomas Krise. “We know our students need these funds to help them manage the disruption of their education, and we will continue pushing to get the funds to all eligible students as soon as possible.”

Checks are being disbursed to eligible students as they are verified to ensure full compliance with rules provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Students who have filed a valid FAFSA for the 2019-20 or 2020-21 academic years will be verified first.

Should you have any questions, you may e-mail the Financial Aid Office at finaid@triton.uog.edu or the Bursar’s Office at bursar@triton.uog.edu.

NOTE: Eligible students who have filled out a FAFSA will be the first to receive the funds.

While filling out a FAFSA is not required to be eligible for the funds, we highly recommend that students file a FAFSA for the 2020-21 academic year to avoid any delays in the disbursement of the emergency funds as we verify your eligibility. The FAFSA can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

We will do everything we can to minimize any issues and ensure that funds reach each student as soon as possible.

Student Portion

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Quarterly Reports

ARP

CRRSAA

CARES

Institutional-MSI Portion

HEERF Quarterly Reports

Date	File
Report as of Sept, 30, 2023	00393500_HEERF_Q32023_101023.pdf
Report as of June 30, 2023	00393500_HEERF_Q22023_071023.pdf
Report as of March 31, 2023	00393500_HEERF_Q12022_040723.pdf
Report as of Dec. 31, 2022	00393500_HEERF_Q42022_011023.pdf
Report as of Sept, 30, 2022	00393500_HEERF_Q32022_101022.pdf
Report as of June 30, 2022	00393500_HEERF_Q22022_070822.pdf
Report as of March 31, 2022	00393500_HEERF_Q12022_040822.pdf
Report as of Dec. 31, 2021	00393500_HEERF_Q42021_011022.pdf
Report as of Sept. 30, 2021	00393500_HEERF_Q32021_100721.pdf
Report as of June 30, 2021	00393500_HEERF_Q22021_070621.pdf
Report as of March 31, 2021	00393500_HEERF_Q12021_040821.pdf
Report as of Dec. 31, 2020	00393500_HEERF_Q42020_010821.pdf
Report as of Sept. 30, 2020	00393500_HEERF_Q32020_102920.pdf

CARES Institutional Share Budget Summary

Date	File
Report as of Oct. 28, 2020	UOG_CARES_Institutional_Share_Budget_Summary_102820.pdf

Update your direct deposit and contact information

UOG will distribute funds through DIRECT DEPOSIT or through POSTAL MAIL. Please update your contact information and direct deposit authorizations to ensure there are no delays.

Direct Deposit – UOG recommends that all students sign up for Direct Deposit. Students with active direct deposit authorizations will receive the funds in their respective bank accounts first.
- Download the Direct Deposit Authorization form and send the completed form along with a voided check or a bank statement to accountspayable@triton.uog.edu.
Postal Mail – Students can also receive a check through the mail. It is very important that your address is up to date to prevent undeliverable or returned mail.
- Download the change of address form to update your contact information below and send it to admitme@triton.uog.edu.

NOTE: At this time, there will be no in-person pick up available.

NOTE: Eligible students who have filled out a FAFSA will be the first to receive the funds. While filling out a FAFSA is not required to be eligible for the funds, we highly recommend that students file a FAFSA for the 2020-21 academic year to avoid any delays in the disbursement of the emergency funds as we verify your eligibility. The FAFSA can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

We will do everything we can to minimize any issues and ensure that funds reach each student as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.When will I receive my CARES Act grant aid?

The University of Guam began its first round of distribution of CARES Act funds to students on May 4. Full distribution through direct deposit or mail is expected to be completed throughout the month of May 2020.

2. What students are eligible to receive emergency financial aid grants from the HEERF?

According to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) only students who are or could be eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), may receive emergency financial aid grants. If a student has filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and received confirmation of a filed and valid FAFSA, then the student has demonstrated eligibility to participate in programs under Section 484 the HEA.
Students who have filled out a FAFSA will be the first to receive the funds.
Students who were enrolled full time or part-time at UOG in the Fañomnåkan (Jan. - May) 2020 semester as of March 14, 2020.

NOTE: Students who were enrolled in a fully online degree program or who were taking only online classes since the start of the Fañomnåkan 2020 semester ARE NOT eligible for CARES Act grant funds. The University of Guam offers three fully online graduate degree programs: Master of Education in Reading, Master of Education in TESOL, and the Professional Master of Business Administration.

Additional questions about eligibility can be directed to the Financial Aid Office at finaid@triton.uog.edu.

3. I have not filed a FAFSA, do I still qualify to receive the grant funds?

While the US ED guidance does not require a student to file a FAFSA to be eligible for the funds, we highly recommend that students file a FAFSA for the 2020-21 academic year to avoid delays in the disbursement of the emergency funds as we use alternate means to verify your eligibility. The FAFSA can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

The criteria to participate in programs under Section 484 of the HEA include but are not limited to the following:

U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen (green card holder or a citizen of the Freely Associated States – Chuuk, RMI, Palau);
a valid Social Security number;
registration with Selective Service (if the student is male); and
a high school diploma, GED, or completion of high school in an approved homeschool setting.

NOTE: For those who have not or do not file a FAFSA, additional time will be needed by the UOG to verify your eligibility before releasing your grant funds.

4. How much will an eligible student receive?

Eligible students can expect between $400-$700 in direct grant aid depending on full time or part time status as defined by the UOG Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Bulletin.

5. How will the grant funds be distributed to students?

The funds will be distributed through direct deposit primarily. For students who have not enrolled in direct deposit, their funds will be mailed to them.

If you want to enroll in Direct Deposit and you have access to a bank account, you may download the form below.

https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/administration/bursar/Direct-Deposit-fillable- .pdf

Please send the completed form along with a voided check or a bank statement to accountspayable@triton.uog.edu.

For students who wish to have their funds mailed to them, It is very important that your address is up to date to prevent undeliverable or returned mail. Download the change of address form to update your contact information below and send it to admitme@triton.uog.edu.

Download the Change of Address form at the link below:
https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/forms/request-for-change-of-address.pdf

At the moment, we do not have the option for check pick-up.

6. What can the grant funds be used for?

The language in the CARES Act states that these funds are “…for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student’s cost of attendance such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care). The guidance is broad and allows students to make that decision on how to spend those funds.

7. Will these funds have to be paid back?

No. These are direct grants from the federal government to eligible students and do not have to be paid back.

8. Will these funds be taxed?

At this time, it appears that these grants may be legally exempt from 1098-T reporting and exempt from taxation altogether. Several higher education groups have sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig, urging them to ensure the emergency grant aid allocated to college students during the global coronavirus pandemic is not treated as taxable income.

We await further guidance from both the IRS and the U.S. Department of Education.

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund