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CARES Act/HEERF

COVID Student Relief Fund

Recently, the federal government made additional funds available to colleges and universities to help address financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Central Michigan University will receive additional funding from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, also known as the COVID Student Relief Fund, to assist students during these challenging times. 

Eligibility 

Support will be provided to CMU students who meet the following criteria:

  • Enrolled at least half-time for Spring semester as of February 2nd, 2022, which is defined as:
    • Undergraduate students with at least 6 credit hours of enrollment. 
    • Graduate students with at least 5 credit hours of enrollment.
  • Submit the acknowledgment form by March 4th, 2022.
    • Funds are limited and submission of the form is not a guarantee you will receive the funds as they will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Note: A FAFSA is not required to qualify.

Funding

After completing the acknowledgement form, students will receive funds within 14 business days for this one-time award. Students with Pell Grant eligibility will receive up to $800.00, while all other students will receive up to $600.00.

Refunds

Students have the option of applying funds directly to their account balance, and the remaining funds, if any, will process as a refund. If a student does not have an account balance, the funds will automatically process as a refund. 

When submitting the acknowledgement form, students should also ensure that their refund method is on file and current to ensure a timely electronic deposit. Direct deposit refunds are facilitated by BankMobile. 

Questions about a refund method may be directed to BankMobile customer care at (877) 327-9515. For security purposes, CMU staff members do not have access to students' direct deposit account information.

Contact

Questions may be sent by email to cmucaresact@cmich.edu. Please allow 2-3 business days for a response. 

    During the second week of May 2020, grants were distributed to undergraduate students with a FAFSA on file and with appropriate financial need indicators. Over 7,000 students received $500 grants.

    Between May and July 2020, eligible students were able to request grant assistance by submitting an application for the Student Assistance Fund. Students of all levels, from undergraduate to doctoral, with Title IV eligibility were invited to apply. Students that received the $500 CMU CARES Grant were eligible to apply for additional assistance. Over 5,000 students received grants of varying amounts determined by application information. 

    In July 2020, $425 grants were distributed to students of all levels enrolled by July 1, 2020 in fall 2020 classes, with an EFC of < $5,000 as calculated by the FAFSA. Over 3,000 students received $425 grants.

    The federal government made additional funds available to colleges and universities to help address financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Central Michigan University will receive approximately $7 million from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, also known as CARES Act II or HEERF, to assist students during these challenging times.

    After completing the acknowledgement form, students will receive funds within 14 business days for this one-time award. Students with Pell Grant eligibility will receive approximately $600, while all other students will receive approximately $500.

    HEERF Reporting