2021-2022 ARPA Grant Funding (Summer 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022)
On May 14, 2021, UA-PTC was notified that the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 would provide UA-PTC with an allocation of $7,728,631 to “provide students with financial aid grants which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care.” ARPA requires that institutions “prioritize students exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants in awarding financial aid grants to students.”
The Arkansas General Assembly enacted a specific appropriation to be utilized for these funds for FY22 in the DFA – Disbursing Officer Act, 997 of 2021, Section 38. Pursuant to special language in Section 39 of Act 997, “All appropriation and expenditures for funding received for the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 shall be expended using the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Appropriation Sections as authorized in this Act.” This special language required UA-PTC to submit a request for appropriation through the DFA – Office of Budget for prior PEER/ALC approval, which has been approved in order for UA-PTC to process emergency financial aid grant refunds for eligible students during the Summer 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022 semesters.
UA-PTC identified 838 students who were enrolled during Summer 2021 terms and confirmed as having exceptional need as required by ARPA. As recommended by the Office of Postsecondary Education with the United Stated Department of Education, having exceptional need was determined to be only those students who had a valid FAFSA on file with UA-PTC and who had a determined Expected Family Contribution (EFC) that documented the student to be Pell Grant eligible.
The amount of each financial aid grant provided to students from the CRRSAA Act appropriations was based on the following chart:
|
ARPA Award Amount Based on Enrollment |
|
|---|---|
| Enrollment Status | Award Amount |
| Full-Time (12+ hrs) | $1,845 |
| 3/4 Time (9-11 hrs) | $1,384 |
| 1/2 Time (6-8 hrs) | $923 |
| < Than ½ Time (1-5 hrs) | $661 |
|
ARPA Summer 2021 Awarded |
|
|---|---|
| Number of Students | Total Amount |
| 149 | $274,905 |
| 149 | $206,216 |
| 390 | $359,970 |
| 150 | $99,150 |
| 838 | $940,241 |
2021 CRRSAA Grant Funding
On January 24, 2021, UA-PTC was notified that the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) would provide UA-PTC with an allocation of $2,238,058 to “provide students with financial aid grants which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care.” “CRRSAA requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants in awarding financial aid grants to students. In addition, the CRRSAA explicitly provides that financial aid grants to students may be provided to students exclusively enrolled in distance education.”
UA-PTC identified 2,246 students who were enrolled for the Spring 2021 semester and confirmed as having exceptional need as required by the CRRSAA Act. As recommended by the Office of Postsecondary Education with the United Stated Department of Education, having exceptional need was determined to be only those students who had a valid FAFSA on file with UA-PTC who had a determined Expected Family Contribution (EFC) that documented the student to be Pell Grant eligible.
The amount of each financial aid grant provided to students from the CRRSAA Act appropriations was based on the following chart:
|
CRRSAA Act Awarding Methodology |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment Status | Award Amount | Number of Students | Total Amount |
| Full-Time | $1,220 | 1256 | $1,532,320 |
| 3/4 Time | $915 | 426 | $389,790 |
| 1/2 Time | $610 | 476 | $290,360 |
| < Than ½ Time | $305 | 88 | $26,840 |
| $2,239,310 | |||
2020 CARES Grant Funding
UA-PTC signed and returned the Recipient’s Funding Certification and Agreement form for the Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and intends to use the funds to provide the mandated amount of at least 50% of the emergency financial aid grants to eligible UA-PTC students who were enrolled during the Spring 2020 semester. Please note that the following information serves as the final report that covers all remaining HEERF fund expenditures for Section 18004(a)(1) Student Portion Funds.
As of December 15, 2020, UA-PTC has disbursed $2,254,350 to 1,733 students . UA-PTC initially estimated that about 3,000 students would be eligible to participate in the programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and therefore eligible to receive an emergency financial aid grant.
The total amount UA-PTC received under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) student portion was $2,238,058. These funds were for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus.
How to Apply for CARES Grant Funding:
The application for CARES has closed. The deadline was Wednesday, June 10, 2020.
Disbursement of Emergency Financial Aid Grants
The amount of each award was based on the number of credit hours a qualified student was enrolled in on March 1, 2020, and the student’s Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) as determined by their completed 2019-2020 FAFSA.
UA-PTC distributed grants to eligible students who were enrolled for the Spring 2020 semester, had a 2019-2020 FAFSA on file, and completed the UA-PTC Emergency Grant Certification Form by June 10, 2020. Funds were disbursed to students via direct deposit and mail. Students were able to sign up for direct deposit by logging in to the UA-PTC Campus Portal at www.uaptc.edu/portal, selecting the “Student” tab, selecting "Nelnet Enterprise" and clicking "Student Choice Refunds." If students had questions about direct deposit or the funds being mailed, they could have contacted Student Accounts at studentbilling@uaptc.edu or (501) 812-2278.
Students who had a completed FAFSA on file and those students who had been determined to be eligible for Federal Student Aid were be awarded the grant. The criteria to participate in programs under Section 484 of the HEA include, but are not limited to, the following: U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen; a valid Social Security number; registration with Selective Service (if the student is male); and a high school diploma, GED, or completion of high school in an approved home school setting.
The CARES Act expressly required that institutions provide the emergency financial aid grants directly to students “for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student’s cost of attendance, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and childcare)”. Funds were not to be used for other purposes.
The initial amount of each grant awarded, the 2nd award amount awarded, and the total amount awarded were based on the following chart:
|
CARES Grant Award |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| SPRING 2020 |
Initial CARES Grant Award per Student |
2nd CARES Grant Award per Student |
Total CARES Grant Awarded |
| Pell Eligible Full-Time Students (12 or more hours) | $1023 | $818 | $1,841 |
| Pell Eligible Three-Quarter-Time Students (9-11 hours) | $767 | $614 | $1,381 |
| Pell Eligible Half-Time Students (6-8 hours) | $512 | $410 | $922 |
| Non-Pell Eligible Full-Time Students (12 or more hours) | $250 | $200 | $450 |
| Non-Pell Eligible Three-Quarter-Time Students (9-11 hours) | $185 | $148 | $333 |
| Non-Pell Eligible Half-Time Students (6-8 hours) | $125 | $100 | $225 |
| Pell & Non-Pell Eligible Less Than Half-Time Students (1-5 hours) | $100 | $80 | $180 |
*Once the deadline of June 10, 2020 to submit the certification passed, the remaining “advanced funds” were equally redistributed to all eligible students to ensure fifty (50) percent of the formula grant funds (the “advanced funds”) were used for the sole and exclusive purpose of providing emergency financial aid grants to students for their expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.
Letters from the Chancellor
2nd CARES Grant Award Notification
Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reports
ARPA Grant Notification
