CARES-Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

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Central Ohio Technical College – CARES Act Reporting

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act; the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF I & II) , and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) of 2021 (HEERF III) each provide emergency funding to higher education institutions.

Please refer to the Quarterly Expenditure Reports below for a summary.

Quarterly Expenditure Reports

Institutional Portion

COTC HEERF Quarterly Report_9.30.20
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report_12.31.20
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report_3.31.21
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report_6.30.21
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report_9.30.21
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report_12.31.21
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report 3.31.22
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report 6.30.22 (Includes Student Aid Portion)
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report 9.30.22 (Includes Student Aid Portion)
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report 12.31.22 (Includes Student Aid Portion)
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report 3.31.23 (Includes Student Aid Portion)
COTC HEERF Quarterly Report 6.30.23 Final (Includes Student Aid Portion)

Student Aid Portion

COTC HEERF Student Quarterly Report_10.10.21
COTC HEERF Student Quarterly Report_1.10.22

CARES Act – Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF I)

(Last updated January 10, 2022)

On April 22, 2020, Central Ohio Technical College was granted funding under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to provide emergency grants to students impacted by COVID-19. To receive the grant, enrolled students must complete the Emergency Financial Grant Application, have demonstrated eligibility for federal financial aid and not be enrolled solely in an online program when courses were changed to remote delivery.

In addition to disbursing these funds, COTC must report to the public within 30 days of receipt of the funds how the funds are being used. 

  1. Central Ohio Technical College acknowledges the College signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement and assures the College will use no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
  2. Central Ohio Technical College received a total of $833,625 from the Department of Education pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
  3. Central Ohio Technical College has distributed a total of $846,042 as of June 9, 2020.
  4. Central Ohio Technical College estimates that 2072 students at the college are eligible to participate in programs under Section 484  Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
  5. A total of 518 students have been awarded Emergency Financial Aid Grants as of June 9, 2020.
  6. The Office of Financial Aid is using an application process to allow students to request funds for their expenses with a maximum allowable grant amount of $2000.
  7. All eligible students were notified by email of their eligibility and application process. The email included what the grant could be used for, who is eligible to apply, how to apply (including a link to the grant application) and an explanation of how grants would be awarded as outlined below.

CRRSAA: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II)

(Last updated March 31, 2021)

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) is authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA), Public Law 116-260, signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020. In total, the CRRSAA authorizes $81.88 billion in support for education, in addition to the $30.75 billion expeditiously provided last spring through the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136.

As a result of the CRRSAA, Central Ohio Technical College recently received a second round of funding for student aid/emergency grants. These funds are in addition to the $833,625 from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help mitigate the financial impact of students when they had to move to removed learning as the result of the campus closure.  The student aid portion received under CRRSAA is being used to assist students experiencing financial hardships caused by the pandemic to cover components of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health) or childcare.

  1. Central Ohio Technical College acknowledges the College received $833,625 in the HEERFII Student Aid Portion to award as emergency grants to students.
  2. Central Ohio Technical College awarded $1,436,800 in block grants to students, exhausting the Student Aid Portion ($833,625) and subsidizing it with funds from the Institutional Portion ($603,175).
  3. The total number of students receiving this block grant is 1,751.
  4. The method utilized to award the grants is as follows:
    • To prioritize students with exceptional need in distributing financial aid grants, Central Ohio Technical College awarded $1200 in HEERF II funds to students enrolled spring 2021 with an EFC between 0 – 5000.
    • Recognizing that most students have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, many with significant hardships, Central Ohio Technical College also awarded a $500 grant to students with an EFC between 5001 – 14500 and a $200 grant to all other eligible students.
  5. Once awards were made, notifications were sent to students via their COTC assigned email account.

NOTE: As of March 31, 2021, the allocated Student Emergency Grant Funds have been exhausted.

To apply for the grant, complete the one-page Emergency Financial Aid Grant application.  The Office of Financial Aid is prepared to respond quickly to applications after determining eligibility based on each student’s circumstances.   

What the grant can be used for:

Expenses related to the disruption of campus operations as a result of the coronavirus such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health and child/dependent care expenses.  

Who is eligible:

Students who complete the Emergency Financial Aid Grant Application and have demonstrated eligibility for federal financial aid.

How to apply:
  • Complete the Emergency Financial Aid Grant Application. The grant is no longer available. Funds have been exhausted.
How grants will be awarded:

If you are approved for funding, funds will be disbursed to you by direct deposit or paper check. To expedite the receipt of funds, students are encouraged to set up direct deposit in myCOTC. All other funds will be mailed to the student’s permanent address on file.

For questions or more information, contact Student Financial Services at 740.366.9435 or by email. 

ARP – Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III)

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP).  Through ARP, Central Ohio Technical College received a third round of HEERF funding in the amount of $3,580,191 for student aid/emergency grants to assist students with unexpected expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are in addition to the $833,625 received through the first round of CARES/HEERF I funding and the $833,625 received through the CRRSAA/HEERF II funding.

The application for the emergency grant is no longer available as funds are nearly depleted.  Applications submitted on or before February 8th will be reviewed in the order they were received and awards made as funding is available.