Updated: October 8, 2020, January 27, 2021, April 9, 2021, June 29, 2021, September 30, 2021
Kalamazoo College (OPEID 002275) signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economics Security (CARES) Act on April 13, 2020. Kalamazoo College’s allocation of funding received through the CARES Act is $1,194,454. We used 50% of the funds ($597,227) received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants directly to students. The other 50% ($589,227) was the Institutional portion of the HEERF grant and was applied to refunding Spring term room and board fees to students.
For the 2019-2020 Award Year
The total number of Kalamazoo College students for Spring 2020 eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 was approximately 1,000 students. As of May 20, 2020, we issued all $597,227 in Emergency Financial Aid Grants directly to approximately 790 students. Awards were made in two ways:
- Automatic relief grants
- Student-initiated Web Appeals
Automatic relief grants of $500 to $750 per student, based on the family income reported on the FAFSA, were processed by the Business Office during the week of April 27, 2020. Recipients were notified via a message to their K email account.
Approximately $60,000 was reserved for any eligible student who faced significant costs related to COVID-19, even those who didn’t receive the automatic grants. Additional appeals were made by completing our simple web form which was emailed to all Kalamazoo College students. Students requested a specific amount and identified reasons for needing additional costs from a drop-down menu with the following categories of expenses:
- Technology
- Coursework
- Food
- Housing
- Healthcare
- Other
The Financial Aid Office assigned a standard, per term, dollar amount for each category and used this information to determine if the request was reasonable.
- Technology – $500
- Coursework -included with technology
- Food – $300 ($100 per month)
- Housing – $600 ($200 per month)
- Healthcare – $200
- Other – $200
After confirming eligibility, we used our calculation for dollar amount (standard) and subtracted any funding the student already received in the first round ($500 or $750). If the difference between the two numbers was positive, the student was eligible to receive additional funding. The minimum award was $150 and if our standard was more than the request, we awarded the amount the student requested.
Appeals were reviewed beginning May 5. Grants ranged from $150-$1,050. Payment requests were sent to the Business Office by Friday, May 15, 2020. Students were notified via email by the Financial Aid Office.