CARES Act

office of the president in a faded blue background

The CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) provides funding to institutions to provide emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted, many of whom are facing financial challenges and struggling to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds can assist students with food, housing, transportation, course materials, technology, health care, and child care.

Payment Information and Timelines

Beginning the week of June 8, 2020, Rhodes State automatically awarded these funds to eligible students from the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters. Students who met the eligibility criteria outlined below received these funds either by direct deposit or check, depending on whether a direct deposit account was already on file with the College. This process was completed on or about Friday, June 12, 2020 however depending on the payment method (direct deposit or check) it may have taken several business days before students received these funds.

Student Eligibility

Students who completed a 2019 – 2020 FAFSA (Spring semester) or a 2020 – 2121 FAFSA (Summer semester) and were not enrolled exclusively in online courses on March 13, 2020 were eligible to receive these funds. Due to these requirements, CCP students were not eligible to receive these funds.

If you have questions regarding this program, including whether you are eligible to receive these funds, please email: finaid@RhodesState.edu.

Student Laptop Giveaway

As part of the funding the College received from the CARES Act, Rhodes State set aside some money to purchase laptops for students who were enrolled during the Fall 2020 semester. To qualify for a laptop, students must have met the below criteria:

  • Be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours as of September 9th;
  • Be eligible for Federal Financial Aid and have submitted your FAFSA as of August 14th; and
  • Submit the laptop application between August 20th and September 4

Laptops were distributed to students during the month of October. The first 100 students who submitted an application and qualified were provided a laptop.

Reporting

In accordance with regulations from the U.S. Department of Education. Reports detailing expenditures using funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund are listed below.