CARES Act Reporting - 11 May 2020

The Department of Education directs each institution receiving Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) to comply with Section 18004(e) of the CARES Act and submit an initial report (the “30-day Fund Report”) to the Secretary thirty (30) days from the date of the institution’s Certification and Agreement to the Department.

Each HEERF participating institution must post the information listed below on the institution’s primary website. Accordingly, the university is providing this information to the AU community in compliance with this directive:

An acknowledgement that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

Aurora University acknowledges the institution signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement for the Student Portion of funds on 13 April 2020. The university signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement for the Institutional Portion of funds on 29 April 2020.

The university intends to use no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

The university has received $2,348,842 for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students. These funds are currently available to the university through the Department of Education’s Grants Management system (G5). As of this date, no draw request has been submitted through the G5 system.

As of the date of this submission, no Emergency Financial Aid Grants have been distributed to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. However, the university is currently processing Emergency Financial Aid Grants for distribution to students on or about 15 May 2020 in the approximate amount of $2,323,800.

As of this date, the estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 for the Spring 2020 academic term (as evidenced by a completed FAFSA on file with the university) and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act is 4,969.

Pursuant to Department of Education guidelines, students who were enrolled exclusively in online courses on 13 March 2020 are not eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants. The approximate number of students enrolled in exclusively online courses included in the estimated total number of students eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 for the Spring 2020 academic term (as evidenced by a completed FAFSA on file with the university) is 939.

As of this date, no students have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant under Section 18004(a)(1). However, the university is currently processing Emergency Financial Aid Grants for distribution to students on or about 15 May 2020 for approximately 2,072 students.

The university used the following methods to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act:

• Students must be Title IV eligible as determined by a valid FAFSA on file for the 2019-2020 award year.
• Students must have been enrolled in courses underway as of the date the CARES Act was passed into law on 27 March 2020.
• Students enrolled exclusively in online courses on 13 March 2020 are excluded per Department of Education guidance.
• All Spring Semester Federal Pell Grants awardees receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants.
• For those students who are not Federal Pell Grant awardees, students who are otherwise Title IV eligible with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) equal to or less than the 2019-2020 Federal Pell Grant EFC limit ($5,576) receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

• Eligible students enrolled during the spring semester for 12 or more undergraduate credit hours will receive $1,200.
• Eligible students enrolled during the spring semester for 9 or more graduate credit hours will receive $1,200.
• Eligible students enrolled during the spring semester for fewer than 12 undergraduate credit hours will receive $600.
• Eligible students enrolled during the spring semester for fewer than 9 credit hours will receive $600.

The university posted a general announcement regarding Emergency Financial Aid Grants on the COVID-19 section of its website on 6 May 2020. A link to this announcement can be found here.