American Recovery Plan (ARP) Act

Report and Disclosure

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Reporting - HEERF III
Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students
University of Wyoming
September 30 Report and Disclosure
September 30, 2021

University of Wyoming (UW) acknowledges it signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Certification and Agreement on April 14, 2020, and gives the assurance that UW intends to use 50% of the funds received for HEERF I, II & III to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

1. 1. The total amount of funds UW received on May 25, 2021 for the ARP Act from the Department of Education for distribution to students is $9,421,784.

   2. The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students for the ARP Act as of September 30, 2021, is $3,156,200.

   3. The estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students for the ARP Act is 19,472.

   4. The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant from the ARP Act is 4,170.

   5. The method(s) used to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive from the ARP Act is as follows:

          A. Exceptional Financial Need

      Per Federal regulations, funds will be distributed prioritizing students with exceptional need. UW has defined exceptional need as follows:

      • Be seeking a degree or certificate program at UW
      • Be enrolled at UW in at least one course during the Fall 2021 semester
      • Have submitted 2021-22 FAFSA, with an official Expected Family Contribution (EFC), to UW by census
      • Have at least one (1) dollar of remaining unmet need (Cost of Attendance (COA) less EFC)
      
      

      If all conditions above are met each student will be awarded a grant following the below method for distribution:

      • Pell PGI EFC Ranges	ARP Eligible Amount
        $0	$1,000
        $1 - $6,000	$800
        $6,001 - $20,000	$600
        $20,000+	$400

      • These funds will be applied directly to their Student Account and refunded to the student.
      • This should total approximately 3.1 million funds and any excess funds will be utilized through the Emergency Grant application.
      • Students were notified by email of their grant distribution.
      
      

          B. Covering Outstanding Balances

      A portion of the remaining funds will be made available to cover account balances for students identified as making an effort to pay their amounts.

      • This population of students was identified by the Director of Student Financial Services.
      • An email was sent to each student explaining the process and their options.
      • Each student will have the option to pay their current account balance or have grant funds refunded to them.
      • This should total approximately 1.2 million funds and any excess funds will be utilized through the Emergency Grant application.
      • No funds have been distributed as of September 30, 2021.
      
      

          C. Emergency Grant Application

      Students may also be eligible for a one-time emergency grant. UW has defined eligibility for an Emergency Grant as follows:

      • Be seeking a degree or certificate program at UW
      • Be enrolled at UW in at least one course during the Fall 2021 semester
      • Information and the application can be found here: HEERF III
      
      

      These grant funds are limited, are not guaranteed, and requests might not be granted. UW will process applications in the order in which they were received. Grants will be applied to student accounts each Tuesday.

      The application will be open from 10-1 through 11-1 or as funds remain available. If funds are available after 11-1 the application period may be extended.

      Only one application will be considered per student during the application period.

          Eligible Expenses

          Food, Housing, Course Materials, Technology, Transportation, Health or Child Care, or Loss of Income due to the Pandemic.

   6. The funds were awarded and distributed to students based on the above mentioned criteria for A. Exceptional Financial Need. Each student received an email notifying them of the grant.

      The remaining funds will be distributed as described in B. and C. throughout the fall semester.