The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) was authorized by the American Recovery Plan (ARP) and signed into law March 11, 2021 to provide support to institutions of higher education to serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic. ARP funds are HEERF funds in addition to funds authorized by the CRRSAA and CARES Act.
Williston State College has finalized its campus-specific protocol to distribute student funds, which will be based on the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data and current Fall 2021 term enrollment status to determine eligibility. There will not be an application for this grant.
Not all students will be eligible to receive emergency grant funding.
The ARP Act funds may be used to cover any component of a student’s cost of attendance (COA),
OR for emergency costs that arise due to COVID-19, including tuition, food, housing, health care and childcare.
U.S. Department of Education ARP Guidance
Similar to the HEERF II funds, the HEERF III funds include no student eligibility requirements either. However, institutions are required to prioritize grants to students with exceptional financial need, such as those who receive Pell Grants. The HEERF III funds can be awarded to online students as well. Eligible student groups include citizens, permanent residents, international students, refugees, asylum seekers, DACA recipients, other DREAMers, and similar undocumented students.
| EMERGENCY GRANTS TO STUDENTS |
| Total Funds |
Date Drawn Down |
| $928,951 |
12/6/21 |
| $150,000 |
4/5/22 |
Qualifications/Award
Williston State college will give all currently enrolled (as of November 1, 2021) degree-seeking students ARP HEERF III funds. Pell-eligible students were identified as the students with exceptional need. We also have a second category of recipients who are all other degree-seeking, enrolled students (as of November 1, 2021). We are not focusing on credit-load, they just had to be degree-seeking and enrolled. We determined that a total of 647 students were eligible. Distributions will be processed on December 10, 2021. The break-down of the groups is as follows:
| Pell-Eligible (with FAFSA) |
Award Amt |
Total |
| 188 students |
$1500 |
$282,000 |
| All other degree-seeking enrolled students |
Award Amt |
Total |
| 459 students |
$1180 |
$541,620 |
| |
|
|
| TOTAL HEERF III funds distributed to students 12/09/2021 |
|
$823,620 |
According to the US Department of Education, students with financial need should be prioritized. Williston State College will give all currently enrolled (as of March 28, 2022) degree-seeking students ARP HEERF III funds. The first category of recipients includes pell-eligible students who also attended 冰球突破豪华版游戏下载 in fall of 2021 and were identified as the students with exceptional need. The second category of recipients includes all other degree-seeking, enrolled students (as of March 28, 2022) who also attended 冰球突破豪华版游戏下载 in fall of 2021. The third category of recipients includes pell-eligible students who were identified as the students with exceptional need who did not attend 冰球突破豪华版游戏下载 in the fall of 2021. The fourth category of recipients includes all other degree-seeking, enrolled students (as of March 28, 2022) who did not attend 冰球突破豪华版游戏下载 in fall of 2021. We are not focusing on credit-load, they just had to be degree-seeking and enrolled. The break-down of the groups is as follows:
| Pell-Eligible (With FAFSA) Returning |
Award Amt |
Total |
| 158 Students |
$400 |
$63,200 |
| All other degree-seeking enrolled returning students |
Award Amt |
Total |
| 348 Students |
$225 |
$78,300 |
| Pell-Eligible (With FAFSA) Non-returning |
Award Amt |
Total |
| 19 Students |
$155 |
$2,945 |
| All other degree-seeking enrolled non-returning students |
Award Amt |
Total |
| 37 Students |
$115 |
$4,255 |
| Total HEERF III funds distributed to students 04/01/2022 |
|
$148,700 |
Receiving Funds
A recipient of the ARP HEERF III grant received an email notification on December 6, 2021. ARP HEERF III grant amounts will be viewable on Campus Connection under the Financial Aid tile on Thursday, December 9, 2021. The ARP HEERF III grant may be used to cover any component of a student’s cost of attendance (COA), or for emergency costs that arise due to COVID-19, including tuition, food, housing, health care and child care. If a recipient wanted the grant applied to their outstanding balance, they must have had to notify the Financial Aid Office through email no later than 4:30pm CST on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, stated in 冰球突破豪华版游戏下载’s ARP HEERF III Grant Recipient notification email sent to the recipients.
Refunds will begin Friday, December 10, 2021. If the student has not enrolled in direct deposit, a paper check will be issued and can be picked up in Student Finance, Stevens Hall 204. The check will automatically be mailed to the student's mailing address on file 10 business days after the check has been issued.
Reminder! Not all students will be eligible to receive ARP Act grant funding.