"Students struggling due to the COVID-19 crisis are being helped by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)—but restrictions on who is eligible have caused controversy. The CARES Act saw Congress authorize $14 billion in funding for U.S. colleges and universities through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HERF) and institutions must spend at least half of that on financial aid grants to students to cover living expenses such as housing, health care and food," Newsweek reports. 

..."Students eligible for the emergency funds must be a citizen or an eligible noncitizen. They will need records such as a Social Security number, a selective service registration, and a high-school diploma. Students who have filed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will have already demonstrated their eligibility.

However if a student has not yet filed a FAFSA, they may find it hard if not impossible to apply for aid, according to Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

'The lengths the department will go through to exclude DACA students will hurt all sorts of students. In all practical purposes, I don't know how an institution would document those things without a FAFSA,' he said."

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 4/24/2020