About the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)
Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been three major rounds of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund appropriations authorized by the federal government:
- Cares Act, March 2020 (HEERF I)
- Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), December 2020 (HEERF II)
- American Rescue Plan (ARP), March 2021 (HEERF III)
Each of these three HEERF distributions were done under the oversight of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education. For more information, please visit the Department of Education’s HEERF website.
Cares Act (HEERF I)
How Eligibility for CARES Act Payments Was Calculated
Eligiblity and funding amounts for CARES Act payments for Wells College students — i.e., the “student portion” under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act — were calculated on a sliding scale, based on each student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) for spring 2020.
Grant amounts per student ranged from $400 (for students with no EFC on file) to $970 (for students with an EFC of $2,500 or less). The table below shows how the College’s $311,518 in CARES Act funding would be allocated to eligible students, and how many of those students were enrolled for each EFC range:
| EFC Range | # of Students Enrolled, Spring 2020 | CARES Grant Amount, Per Student | Total Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0-$2,500 | 136 | $970 | $131,920 |
| $2,501-$5,576 | 39 | $900 | $35,100 |
| $5,577-$15,000 | 81 | $800 | $64,800 |
| $15,001 and up | 106 | $650 | $68,900 |
| No EFC on file | 8 | $400 | $3,200 |
| Reserved for appeals | n/a | n/a | $7,598 |
| TOTAL | 370 | $311,518 |
How CARES ACT Funds WERE Distributed
The table below shows the amount of months that have been distributed by each date listed.
| Amount Distributed As Of … | Amount | # of Students | Percentage of Student Body % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/30/2020 | $156,540.00 | 184 | 50% |
| 6/30/2020 | $28,680.00 | 36 | 10% |
| 7/30/2020 | $1,300.00 | 2 | 1% |
| 8/30/2020 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| 9/30/2020 | $2,900.00 | 4 | 1% |
| 10/31/2020 | $650.00 | 1 | 0.1% |
| 11/30/2020 | $112,180.00 | 141 | 38% |
| 11/30/2020 (appeals) | $3,350.00 | 4 | |
| 12/31/2020 (appeals) | $500.00 | 1 | |
| 1/31/2021 | $1,000.00 | 2 | n/a |
| 2/28/2021 | $0 | n/a | n/a |
| 3/31/2021 | $0 | n/a | n/a |
| 4/30/2021 | $4,418.00 | 3 | n/a |
| # of students who declined funding | n/a | 3 | 0.1% |
| TOTAL | $311,518.00 | 376 (not including 3 who declined and 5 appeals) | 100% |
CRRSAA Funding (HEERF II)
HOW ELIGIBILITY FOR CRRSAA PAYMENTS WAS CALCULATED
| EFC Range | # of Students Enrolled, 2020-21 Year | CRRSAA Grant Amount, Per Student | Total Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | 70 | $1,500 | $105,000 |
| $1 – $5,800 | 88 | $1,300 | $109,968 |
| $5,801 – $15,000 | 55 | $900 | $49,500 |
| $15,001 – $49,500 | 58 | $650 | $37,700 |
| $49,501 and up | 12 | $500 | $6,000 |
| No FAFSA on file | 5 | $250 | $1,250 |
| Part-time Students | 4 | $300 to $700 | $2,100 |
| TOTAL | 292 | $311,518 |
HOW CRRSAA FUNDS WERE DISTRIBUTED
The table below shows the amount of months that have been distributed by each date listed.
| Amount Distributed As Of … | Amount | # of Students |
|---|---|---|
| 4/15/2021 | $105,450 | 92 |
| 4/20/2021 | $206,068 | 200 |
| TOTAL | $311,518 | 292 |
ARP Funding (HEERF III)
HOW ELIGIBILITY FOR ARP PAYMENTS WAS CALCULATED
| EFC Range | # of Students Enrolled, Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 | ARP Grant Amount, Per Student | Total Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | 114 | $3,025 | $344,850 |
| $1 – $5,711 | 125 | $2,600 | $325,000 |
| $5,712 – $15,000 | 82 | $1,325 | $108,650 |
| $15,001 – $50,000 | 96 | $950 | $91,200 |
| $50,001 and up | 22 | $650 | $14,300 |
| No FAFSA on file | 14 | $290 | $4,060 |
| Part-time Students | 3 | $40 to $915 | $1,005 |
| TOTAL | 456 | $889,065 |
HOW ARP FUNDS WERE DISTRIBUTED
The table below shows the amount of months that have been distributed by each date listed.
| Amount Distributed As Of … | Amount | # of Students |
|---|---|---|
| 11/30/2021 | $228,241 | 126 |
| 12/6/2021 | $218,332.25 | 101 |
| 12/8/2021 | $263,798.50 | 139 |
| 12/9/2021 | $128,900 | 74 |
| Amount applied fully/partially to tuition account* | $49,793.25 | 16 |
| TOTAL | $889,065 | 456 |
* Of this amount, $42,075.00 represents 16 students who requested full distribution directly to their tuition account, and $7,718.25 represented 8 students who requested partial distribution to their tuition account.
QUARTERLY BUDGET AND EXPENDITURE REPORTING
Per federal government regulations, all institutions of higher education that received Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) distributions from the federal government via the CARES Act are required to post quarterly updates regarding budget and expenditure reporting. The first report, dated Sept. 30, 2020, covers the period from the initial HEERF I grant award — i.e., the “institutional portion” under Sections 18004(a)(1), (a)(2) and (a)(3) of the CARES Act — from spring 2020 through Sept. 30, 2020.
Subsequent updates, which report on both HEERF I and HEERF II fund distribution, cover each subsequent three-month calendar quarter through September 2022 or when the College has expended and liquidated all HEERF funds, whichever comes first.
CARES ACT (HEERF I) + CRRSAA (HEERF II) COMBINED
- Report for Quarter Ending Sept. 30, 2021 (revised 1/4/2022)
- Report for Quarter Ending June 30, 2021 (revised 1/4/2022)
- Report for Quarter Ending March 31, 2021 (revised 1/4/2022)
- Report for Quarter Ending Dec. 31, 2020
- Report for Quarter Ending Sept. 30, 2020
CARES ACT (HEERF I), CRRSAA (HEERF II), AND AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN (HEERF III) COMBINED
- Report for Quarter Ending Dec. 31, 2021
- Report for Quarter Ending March 31, 2022
- Report for Quarter Ending September 30, 2022
Need More Information?
For more information on CARES Act reporting, please contact our business office at accounting@wells.edu.
Page last updated Jan. 6, 2022.