Coronavirus (COVID-19) Web Center
This web center was created to keep NASFAA members and the financial aid community updated on pertinent news related to the coronavirus. Check back often as this page is updated daily.
NASFAA Articles & Statements
- ED Announces Over $3 Billion in Additional HEERF Money for Under-Resourced Institutions
- ED's Internal Watchdog Provides Best Practices for Identifying Pandemic Relief Fund Fraud
- Pressure Mounting to Extend Loan Repayment Pause
- New Report Provides Lessons Learned from Strengths, Weaknesses of HEERF Implementation
- Pandemic Shakes Students' Views on Value of Higher Education, Survey Finds
See All NASFAA COVID-19 News Coverage
NASFAA "Off The Cuff" Podcast Episodes
- Episode 201: Summer Legislation Heats Up But Fall Deadlines Loom Large for Higher Ed
- Episode 200: All Things Verification, Updates on Congressional Spending and a PSA on Pell Grant Broadband Benefit
- Episode 199: Biden Takes Higher Ed Agenda on the Road as Appropriators Prep Spending Bills
See All "Off The Cuff" Episodes
NASFAA Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Reference Pages
Department of Education guidance on the use of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funds is changing on an almost daily basis. The reference pages linked below provide fast facts and frequently asked questions and answers about both the CARES Act HEERF grants and the newest Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act created HEERF II grants to assist financial aid administrators and other offices on college campuses in making decisions about the distribution of these funds. Check back often as NASFAA will continue to update these reference pages as any new guidance becomes available.
- HEERF-Student Funds Reference Page
- HEERF II Reference Page
- HEERF III Reference Page
- HEERF Comparison Chart (PDF)
- HEERF Reporting Guidelines (PDF)
- HEERF Timeline - October 2020 (PDF)
NASFAA AskRegs Questions & Answers 
While AskRegs is available exclusively to NASFAA members, in an effort to keep the entire higher education community informed in the midst of this pandemic, NASFAA — with the support of grant funding — has made all AskRegs questions and answers related to COVID-19 available to the public. Check back often; new questions get submitted and answered every day.
- Can We Provide HEERF Institutional Grant Funds To Students As Vaccination Incentives?
- Is the Institutional Share Of FWS and FSEOG Waived For the 2021-22 Award Year?
- Can a School Withhold Title IV Aid for a Student's Failure to Get Vaccinated?
- When Do the Various Title IV COVID-19 Flexibilities and Waivers End?
- Can a School Transfer 100 Percent Of Its Unspent FWS Funds Into FSEOG Due To COVID-19?
Access AskRegs Knowledgebase| AskRegs COVID-19 Questions
Not a NASFAA member? Join now to access the AskRegs Knowledgebase.
NASFAA Webinars
The following webinars also available on-demand, free to NASFAA members and non-members.
- May 21, 2021 - COVID-19 and Federal Student Aid: HEERFs
- February 5, 2021 - COVID-19 and Federal Student Aid: A Recap of the Latest
- January 15, 2021 - Year-End Student Aid Legislation: COVID Relief, Funding, and FAFSA Simplification
- September 30, 2020 - COVID-19 and Federal Student Aid: Where Are We Now?
Also available on-demand, free to NASFAA members only:
- July 20, 2021 - New Findings from an Evaluation of CARES Act Emergency Aid Funding
- May 20, 2021 - Preparing Borrowers and Institutions for the End of the COVID Waivers
- March 24, 2021 - Coronavirus Response Fraud-Let's Work Together to Stop It!
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021
Several major student aid policy provisions were attached to the fiscal year 2021 Omnibus spending bill, through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, including FAFSA simplification, expanding Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students and increasing the maximum award, and the repealing the limitation on lifetime subsidized loan eligibility, known as Subsidized Usage Limit Applies (SULA).
See All NASFAA Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 Coverage
Department of Education & Congressional References
- *NEW* ED Publishes Pair of HEERF Application Notices
- ED's Internal Watchdog Provides Financial Aid Administrators With Resources for Identifying Fraud
- ED Solicits Comments for Revisions to HEERF Annual Reporting Requirements
- ED Releases Handbook to Help Schools Return to In-Person Instruction
- Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III Frequently Asked Questions
See Previous ED & Congressional References
NASFAA in the News
For an up-to-date list of news articles in which NASFAA spokespeople have been quoted, please visit our NASFAA In the News webpage.
NASFAA Advocacy and Research
- An Evaluation of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Funding for Postsecondary Institutions
- Call to Action: Your Voice Needed to Increase Higher Education Funding
- June 2020 Infographic Shows NASFAA's Comprehensive Efforts in the Time of COVID-19
NASFAA On the Record
- NASFAA Submits Comments on Supplemental Aid to Institutions of Higher Education (SAIHE) Program
- NASFAA Urges FCC to Implement Simple Verification Process for Emergency Broadband Program
- NASFAA Urges Congress to Provide Relief for All Federal Student Loan Borrowers
See all NASFAA COVID-19 On the Record letters
NASFAA Members Additional Resources
- 2019-20 COVID-19 National Emergency Self-Evaluation Checklist Available
- Blue Icon Kicks Off Fall 'Let's Talk' Series With Financial Literacy During COVID-19
- Business Continuity Plans and Teleworking Agreement Samples
- CARES Act Distribution: Results From June 2020 Membership Poll & May 2020 Survey
- COVID-19 Emergency Grant Application Samples
- COVID-19 Resources from NASFAA's Business Partners
- NASFAA Membership CARES Act Survey - May 2020
- NASFAA, SchoolHouse Connections Resource Highlights COVID-19 Impact on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Seeking
- NASFAA Survey Results Highlight COVID-19 Impact on Professional Judgment Requests
- P&P Builder Template: Early Implementation of New Regulations
- Survey on Professional Judgment and COVID-19
- Your Thoughts: We Have to Be More Transparent About the PJ Process
Additional Resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Census Bureau Publishes Updates for Temporarily Closed Schools Due to Coronavirus
- CUPA-HR Provides Resources for Campus Re-Openings
- FCC Emergency Broadband Program for Pell Grant Recipients
- Guidance Unchanged for International Students and Online Learning
- Higher Education Advocates Call on Congress to Provide Equitable Aid for Community Colleges
- IRS: Emergency Aid Allocated to College Students Not Considered Taxable Income
- Lawmakers Urge Student Loan Companies to Provide Relief for Private Student Loan Borrowers
- Poll Finds Overwhelming Support for Short-Term Student Debt Relief
- Self-Supporting College Students Can Qualify for Stimulus Checks, IRS Says
- Washington Sues Department of Education Over CARES Act Guidance
- World Health Organization
This NASFAA COVID-19 Web Center is made possible thanks to the dues paid annually by NASFAA members at nearly 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. Not a NASFAA member yet? Join today to gain access to member-only benefits and help fund more content for the financial aid community at nasfaa.org/Join_NASFAA.
Publication Date: 8/3/2021