American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) III Reporting

Student and Institutional Quarterly Reports

July 9, 2021

Overview

The Supplemental Agreements and Frequently Asked Questions for the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) direct institutions receiving funds under Section 2003(a)(1) of the ARP (Pub. L. 117-2) to comply with applicable quarterly reporting requirements originally implemented through the CARES Act for HEERF I funding. Following this guidance, information on the use and distribution of both the student portion and the institutional portion of Carleton’s ARP HEERF III funds will be posted no later than 10 days after the calendar quarter.

Carleton’s Federal Pandemic Relief Funding page provides additional information about the funding the college has received from the U.S. Department of Education for relief of pandemic expenses.

Student Quarterly Report

On May 14, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education issued a final rule in which the student eligibility requirements for HEERF awards were revised. This rule broadened the pool of eligible students to include “any individual who is or was enrolled at an eligible institution on or after the date the national emergency was declared for COVID-19” (March 13, 2020), effectively removing the previously imposed Title IV eligibility requirement.

On May 17, 2021, Carleton College received $3,034,280 under Section 2003(a)(1) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), Pub. L. No. 117-2 (January 3, 2021). Institutions must use at least half of these funds to provide emergency financial aid grants to students. For Carleton, this amount was $1,517,140. In recognition that every student has been affected by the pandemic, Carleton decided to award ARP funds to all currently enrolled students with demonstrated financial need. Following the Department of Education’s guidance to prioritize students with exceptional need, those with more need received larger grants.

On June 3, 2021, Carleton disbursed the entirety of its ARP student funds ($1,517,140) to 1,056 eligible students. To round out the student grants, the college used $310 of its ARP institutional funds, bringing the total disbursement to $1,517,450:

  • A total of 16 students with need above $80,000 received $1,700 each.
  • A total of 223 students with need between $70,000 and $79,999 received $1,600 each.
  • A total of 231 students with need between $60,000 and $69,999 received $1,500 each.
  • A total of 300 students with need between $40,000 and $59,999 received $1,400 each.
  • A total of 189 students with need between $20,000 and $39,999 received $1,300 each.
  • A total of 97 students with need below $20,000 received $1,250 each.

These grants are intended to be used for the cost of attendance or for emergency expenses incurred due to the pandemic, such as tuition, food, housing, or health care, including mental health care.

Students who received direct ARP HEERF emergency grants were notified via email on June 1, 2021:

Dear Carleton Student,

In response to financial challenges you may be experiencing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Carleton is distributing to you an emergency grant in the amount of $1,700/$1,600/$1,500/$1,400/$1,300/$1,250 from federal funds made available to the college through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

This grant is intended to be used for expenses related to the cost of attendance or for expenses related to COVID-19 (i.e., tuition, course materials, food, housing, or health care). This emergency grant is not a loan. You will not repay this grant, nor will it be considered part of your taxable gross income. 

These funds will be paid to you through your direct deposit bank account on The Hub. Grants will be distributed beginning June 3, 2021. (If you do not have a direct deposit account on file, a paper check will be sent in the mail to your home address. The check must be deposited by June 18, 2021, or you will forfeit the grant.) More information about the nature of this funding can be found on Carleton’s Federal Pandemic Relief Funding page. 

If your financial circumstances have substantively changed during the pandemic, you may be eligible for additional adjustments to your financial aid. Please contact financialaid@carleton.edu if you need to appeal your original financial aid award.

If you have any questions about your grant, please email studentaccounts@carleton.edu.

We hope that this grant provides some relief during these unusual times. Please stay safe and healthy.

Best wishes,

Carolyn H. Livingston, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students

Art D. Rodriguez ’96
Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid

Eric Runestad
Vice President and Treasurer

Institutional Quarterly Report

On May 17, 2021, Carleton College received $3,034,280 under Section 2003(a)(1) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), Pub. L. No. 117-2 (January 3, 2021). The college was required to disburse at least half of these funds ($1,517,140) as emergency financial aid grants to students.

The remaining $1,517,140 of ARP funds may be used to provide additional financial assistance to students, or to relieve pandemic-related expenses incurred by the college on or after March 13, 2020 (the date on which the national emergency was declared for COVID-19), however, institutions are required to use a portion of these funds to “(A) implement evidence-based practices to monitor and suppress coronavirus in accordance with public health guidelines; and (B) conduct direct outreach to financial aid applicants about the opportunity to receive a financial aid adjustment.”

Institutional practices during the pandemic (e.g. weekly surveillance testing, quarantine and isolation spaces, remote and hybrid classes and work schedules, etc.) met the first requirement, and expenses related to these practices will be partially recovered by the ARP institutional funds.

To meet the second requirement, Carleton included a paragraph in the June 1 message that was sent to students with demonstrated financial need, all of whom received a HEERF III award. (See the Student Quarterly Report.) Further, on June 2, 2021, the college’s Student Financial Services Office sent the following email to the 62 students who had completed the financial aid process and been determined to have no need:

Carleton understands these past few months have been challenging for our students and their families. If your family’s financial situation has changed significantly from what is reflected on your CSS Profile or FAFSA, please contact Student Financial Services. If the changes are substantial enough, your financial need may be adjusted to reflect the new information. Please note that not all requests for a review results in a change in a student’s financial aid award.

More information can be found on a webpage dedicated to helping families through the financial aid review process. Please remember to provide us with a clear explanation of what is taking place and the necessary details for consideration of financial assistance. You may request a secured link to send us confidential information.

As of June 30, 2021, Carleton had drawn down the entirety of its ARP institutional funds ($1,517,140) to round out the HEERF III emergency grants to students and to recover expenses related to the pandemic, including but not limited to costs associated COVID-19 surveillance testing, as well as meal plan and room and board refunds to students for spring term 2020, which began on April 6.