CARES Act Reporting

What is the CARES Act and the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund?

Dallas College is committed to helping our students that have been financially affected by COVID-19. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law and provides funds to higher education institutions to provide emergency financial aid grants to eligible students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the pandemic.

What is a CARES Act Student Emergency Aid Grant?

Grants are for students who have experienced additional expenses due to COVID-19. Grant funds can help students pay for eligible expenses such as food, housing, childcare, learning materials, healthcare/safety, and transportation. Funds can also be used for emergency expenses for the school semesters until April 2021 due to the impact of COVID-19.

Who is eligible?

The federal government has established the eligibility criteria that students must meet to receive CARES Act Student Emergency Aid Grants. Only students who are eligible for federal aid and have a financial need can be considered. Review the eligibility criteria.

You must have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you need to file a FAFSA, please visit StudentAid.gov.

The U.S. Department of Education does not allow CARES Act Student Emergency Aid Grants to be awarded to:

Students who are not enrolled;
International students;
Undocumented students

Students who are not eligible for CARES Act Grant funding can apply for the
Dallas College Emergency Aid Fund.

How do I apply?

The Dallas College Foundation opened an Emergency Aid Fund during Fall 2019, funded fully by private donations and in partnership with Edquity, an educational technology company that has developed an app and an algorithm to administer emergency aid quickly through an evidence-based approach using an objective and equitable process. The privately funded Emergency Aid Fund is open to ALL students, regardless of their Title IV eligibility or any other status.

Because the Edquity app process can collect the information needed to administer and report on the CARES Act emergency aid, we are using this same process to administer the CARES Act funding and all students seeking emergency funds are applying through the app.

This is how it works:

Students apply through the Edquity app or on the Edquity website.
The algorithm prioritizes the highest-need and those most likely to stay enrolled if emergency aid is awarded.
Edquity will analyze the information provided by the students with input from the Dallas College Office of Systematic Reporting and Analytics to verify enrollment for the current term.
- If the student is not approved for Dallas College Emergency Aid Fund, they are passed to Dallas College for consideration for CARES Act Grant Funding
Students are eligible for CARES Act Grant funding based on the eligibility requirement of the United States Department of Education outlined above in the “Who is eligible?” section

How will I receive my award?

CARES Act Funds will be distributed directly to the student by the institution. If you are approved for the award, you will receive an e-mail notification. Please log in to your Dallas College eConnect account and choose the option eRefunds. Follow the instructions and you will be able to enter your bank account information and receive your emergency aid quicker. If you do not have banking information available, you will receive a paper check in the mail.

Note: If you have received other financial aid this academic year, it is not taken into consideration when approving the funds.

Will the CARES Act Student Emergency Aid Grant first go towards paying any outstanding charges on a student’s account?

No. It will bypass any outstanding charges and be distributed directly to the student.

Is this grant included in my gross income?

No, nor can it be claimed as a deduction or credit for expenses paid with the grant including the tuition and fees deduction, the American Opportunity Credit, or the Lifetime Learning Credit (section 139(h) of the Internal Revenue Code).

Will everyone who applies receive a CARES Act Student Emergency Aid Grant?

The number of funds received from the U.S. Department of Education for direct emergency financial aid grants to students was $19,505,864. This amount is not sufficient to support all students, and Dallas College will follow federal eligibility criteria that require that students be eligible for federal aid and demonstrate a financial need for expenses directly related to disruption due to COVID-19. We have developed a plan to help as many students as possible while still awarding a meaningful amount. Eligible students with the highest demonstrated financial need will be given priority.