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Duke to Distribute New Federal Emergency Grants for Students

Part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), also known as Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF II)

Emergency grants for the pandemic

Later this month, Duke will begin distributing federal funds to eligible students allocated by the recently enacted Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). The law’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) II provides emergency funding to universities to assist students with exceptional need during the coronavirus pandemic.

The grants of approximately $1,000 are intended to help eligible recipients cover expenses for education and/or emergency costs that arise or have arisen because of coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care.

Grants from the HEERF II CRRSAA Emergency Relief Fund are not considered financial aid and do not affect a student's current or future financial aid eligibility. The guidance from the Department of Education specifies that these grants should be distributed to eligible students with exceptional need, which will be identified by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 

The funding is available to qualifying undergraduate, graduate and professional students. More information about the assistance, including required steps, eligibility criteria and deadlines are available on the Keep Learning website.