COVID-19 Emergency Relief Funds

CRRSAA HEERF II funding from the U.S. government is available to qualified students for help with financial needs due to COVID-19

(Photo by Regine Tholen, Unsplash)

Updated March 8, 2021 and July 1, 2021. Originally posted on Feb. 23, 2021.

We are excited to announce that Andrews University has received additional funding authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSAA). As mandated by the Act, Andrews intends to use the same amount of $618,278, first given in spring 2020, to provide emergency financial aid grants to students this spring semester 2021.

The CRRSAA requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need (such as students who receive Pell Grants) and also authorizes grants to students exclusively enrolled in distance education. This grant is to help eligible students cover some expenses related to the cost of attending Andrews University (food, housing and utilities, health insurance, transportation, childcare) or for other emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus. Andrews University currently has approximately 1,263 Title IV eligible students enrolled for the spring 2021 semester as of Feb. 9, 2021.

By Feb. 25, 2021, we will have communicated by email with all 597 eligible students who have been selected to receive the CRRSAA HEERF II funds. These students were enrolled in classes on the main/distance campus as of Feb. 9, 2021. They also have filed a 2020–21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), were Title IV eligible, and had documented exceptional need.

To begin the review and confirmation process, Andrews University ran a report of registered main/distance campus students with FAFSA. Then, to help determine selection of students who demonstrate exceptional need, Andrews University used the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), as determined by the FAFSA application. Undergraduate students who were selected were Federal Pell Grant recipients; graduate students who were selected had a zero EFC. Undergraduate students (321) will receive 65 percent of the disbursed Federal Pell Grant received for spring semester 2021 in CRRSAA grants. Graduate students (276) will receive a flat amount of $403.90 in CRRSAA grants. An overall total of $618,278 will be given to students for spring semester 2021.

Eligible students were notified that they were selected to received CRRSAA grants via email. Once a student acknowledges that she or he wants to accept the CRRSAA HEERF II funding those funds will be disbursed to their student account. A refund of their approved funds will be delivered by eRefunds (direct deposit) or by paper check to the student’s physical address in the system. If eligible students do not acknowledge the CRRSAA funds by March 2, 2021, they may forfeit the funds.

For students who have been notified by email that they are eligible, take these steps to acknowledge the CRRSAA HEERF II funding:

1. Log into FinVue here.
2. Click on "CRRSAA HEERF Acceptance" and complete the PDF online, then return by email (preferred) or drop it off at the Office of Student Financial Services.

Questions about the CRRSAA HEERF II can be directed to the Office of Student Financial Services through email to sfs@andrews.edu.

As of March 8, 2021, $618,278 has been distributed to 597 eligible Andrews University students who have been selected to receive the CRRSAA HEERF II funds. These students were enrolled in classes on the main/distance campus of Andrews University as of Feb. 9, 2021. They also have filed a 2020–21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), were Title IV eligible, and had documented exceptional financial need.