Federal CARES Act Funding

• Enrolled, degree seeking students at Drexel University may receive awards under the COVID-19 CARES Act.
• Had expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, child care, or other related expenses.
• All Pell grant recipients and undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who did not receive a Pell grant but who had at least $15,000 of unmet institutional need.
• Unfortunately, the CARES Act does not allow these funds to be used for Drexel Online, International, PhD, Certificate, or DACA students.

No. The Department of Education requires that students meet federal financial aid eligibility criteria. International students can apply for support through Drexel's Student Emergency Fund.

No, this grant is available only to on-campus students. Online students can apply for support through Drexel's Student Emergency Fund.

No. Both the CARES Act funding and institutional funding are limited.

Federal emergency grants will NOT pay any existing charges owed to the university. Students may, however, use these funds to pay expenses related to disruptions to their educations due to the COVID-19 outbreak, such as unanticipated travel, additional technology requirements, or other needs related to an emergency situation.

No. You must have been enrolled as a fulltime student at Drexel University at the time of the disruption to request assistance.

No. You must have been enrolled as a fulltime student at Drexel University at the time of the disruption to request assistance.

No. Funding is limited to one grant per eligible student.

Yes, students are still considered full-time, enrolled students while on co-op, so they are welcome to apply for the CARES Act Emergency Grant.

The Department of Education (DOE) has issued additional guidance clarifying that students who graduated in the 2020 spring term are eligible to be considered for Federal CARES Act Emergency Grant funding. Eligible students have been notified via email. A link to the application has been included in the email. Once an application is reviewed and a decision is reached, you will receive a notification to your Drexel e-mail address.

Information about applying for these funds will be emailed to eligible students when funding becomes available. A link to the application will be included in the email. Once an application is reviewed and a decision is reached, you will receive a notification to your Drexel e-mail address.

Drexel Online, International, PhD, Certificate, and DACA students are not eligible to receive funds from the CARES Act; however, a separate application is available for these students seeking emergency funds through Drexel's Student Emergency Fund.

Yes, graduate students that meet the eligibility criteria are welcome to apply for the CARES Act Emergency grant.

No. The Department of Education does not require a FAFSA to be on file to receive CARES Act Emergency Grants.

Under the CARES Act, the U.S. Department of Education has allocated $6.5 million from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund to Drexel University to provide emergency grants directly to students. The emergency grants will assist students "to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, including eligible expenses under a student's Cost of Attendance (COA), such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care."

Student’s should receive funds within 7-10 business days of submitting their complete application.

You would not have to repay the amount awarded to you. The Federal Emergency Aid Grant funds are designed to be a grant, not a loan.

The University awarded CARES Act grants to on campus students who fell into one of the following categories: (1) Pell grant recipients; (2) undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who did not receive a Pell grant but who had at least $15,000 of unmet institutional need. Unmet institutional need is defined as direct cost (tuition, fees, room, and board for resident students or tuition and fees for commuting students) minus Expected Family Contribution or EFC, minus all grant, scholarship, subsidized loan, federal work study, and graduate assistantship financial aid awards. The EFC that was used is derived from the CSS Profile if it was submitted for 2019-20. If it was not submitted, the EFC is taken from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The University will award CARES Act funds to eligible students who submit an application in two amounts. Those students receiving a federal Pell Grant and all other eligible students with a demonstrated need above $20,000 will receive $1,000, while all other eligible students with a demonstrated need between $15,000 and $20,000 will receive $500.

The IRS issued FAQs on the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund and Emergency Financial Aid Grants under the CARES Act that clarifies that CARES Act aid should be treated as a "qualified disaster relief payment" and not be treated as taxable income. Each financial award you receive from the federal government and other sources will have separate and unique tax consequences for your federal tax return. Visit the IRS website for assistance.