CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Information

About CARES Act Funding

Section 18804(a)(1) of the recently enacted federal CARES Act provided money to colleges and universities to distribute for emergency student grants. The purpose of the money is to provide financial assistance to students for specific expenses that are a direct result of the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus. This funding is separate from additional financial aid students may receive from Dunwoody College of Technology. Dunwoody has received $652,185 intended for distribution to students and can be disbursed over the next 12 months to combat the continuing effects of this pandemic. Additional dollars were also received to assist with the operational disruption caused by the crisis.

What Does This Funding Cover?

The following is a list of expenses that can be considered for grant assistance if they were “related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus”:

• Food
• Housing
• Course materials
• Technology (such as having to buy a computer when courses were moved online or cost of internet connectivity)
• Health care
• Child care

Eligible undergraduate students received up to $500 in the first phase of disbursement which took place the first week in June, along with the ability to apply for additional dollars by completing a request for emergency funding. In the spirit of serving as many of Dunwoody’s most in need students, and because CARES Act funding is limited, we appreciate students applying for a grant only if it is truly needed.

Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting under CARES Act Sections 18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion

• CARES Act report for Quarter 1
• CARES Act report for Quarter 2
• CARES Act report for Quarter 3 (Final)

Award Methodology

Dunwoody has adopted a four phase approach for distributing the $652,185 dollars to our affected students:

PHASE 1***: Starting the week of June 1, 2020: A total of 1,022 students were issued checks for a total amount of $425,400. 594 students with Estimated Family Contributions (EFC) of $10,000 or less received $500. 428 students with Estimated Family Contributions (EFC) of $10,001 or more received $300. Student who do not receive an award are invited to contact the college to determine eligibility, and all students were invited to apply for Emergency Funding.

***Updated on 2/22/2021 due to canceled checks that were more than 100+ days outstanding—(574 $500 checks/421 $300 checks=$413,300 updated Phase 1 distribution).

PHASE 2: Starting June 10, 2020  — Students were invited to apply for Emergency Funding based on their individual circumstances (Dunwoody login required). Applications were accepted and funds disbursed as funds were available. A total of $164,617.50 has been disbursed to 128 students as of August 31, 2020, for Phase 2. Note: August 31, 2020, was the last day that Phase 2 Cares Act applications will be accepted.

PHASE 3: Starting September 1, 2020 — Any remaining funds will be distributed using the same methodology in PHASE 1 to returning Fall 2020 students. A total of $59,280 has been disbursed to 624 students as of February 22, 2021, for Phase 3.

PHASE 4: On 2/22/2021, 39 uncashed Phase 1 and Phase 3 checks that were more than 100+ days outstanding were canceled and returned to the DCT CARES Act (HEERF I) fund—totaling $13,240. The returned funds, along with DCT’s remaining CARES Act (HEERF I) funds were distributed through a Phase 4—(Phase 1 eligible students who applied for Phase 2, who received less than $1,900 during the Phase 2 distribution of funds and who are enrolled for the Spring 2021 Semester). On 2/24/2021, 53 students received a Phase 4 disbursement of $282.78 totaling $14,987.34

As of 2/24/2021, Dunwoody College of Technology has disbursed their full Section 18804(a)(1) CARES Act (HEERF I) Emergency Grants for student allocation of $652,185 to eligible students. If currently enrolled students are still experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic, please reach out to the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@dunwoody.edu.

Eligibility

The estimated total number of students at Dunwoody College of Technology who are eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965: 1,032

The estimated total number of students at Dunwoody College of Technology who are eligible for CARES Act: 1,022

Students who meet all criteria below are eligible to apply:

• Working towards a degree or certificate at Dunwoody.
• Enrolled during the Spring 2020 semester in at least one on-ground/in-person course, even if that course moved to an online format due to the pandemic.
• Have a valid FAFSA on file* with Dunwoody College of Technology’s Financial Aid Department.
• Students must also attest that they have experienced any of the aforementioned disruptions either by not returning the Phase 1 (or Phase 3) funds disbursement or by completing the question on expenses on the application form for Phase 2 funds (question 3).
• Per the U.S. Department of Education, international students and students enrolled exclusively in online courses are not eligible to receive CARES Act funding.

*Students who are ineligible due to not having a FAFSA on file with the College should visit the Federal Student Aid website and follow the instructions for filling out the FAFSA for the 2020-2021 academic year.

How to Apply

There is no application for Phase 1 and 3. The money will be sent by check to the address we have on file.

For Phase 2: Student should apply to request emergency funding.

To apply, access and complete the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Application (note: application is now closed).

If you have difficulty logging in, please contact the IT Service Desk at support@dunwoody.edu. However, please review the eligibility requirements before doing so as not all students are eligible to receive funds.

Applications will be reviewed within two weeks of submission and students will receive an email with the decision. Applications will be accepted and funds disbursed as funds are available.