Wednesday, October 27, 2021

The University of Iowa’s Office of Financial Aid has completed the distribution of $11.508 million the university received from the third installment of the federal government’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF).

The U.S. Department of Education authorized these funds to be used for any component of a student’s cost of attendance or emergency costs resulting from COVID-19. More than 9,200 students received assistance, with the award range being $750 to $1,500.

Among the more than 9,200 recipients:

  • 78% were undergraduate students (7,221), 22% were graduate and professional students (2,056)
  • 35% of the recipients were first-generation students
  • 53% of the total number of undergraduate student recipients also are Federal Pell Grant recipients. Graduate and professional students are not eligible for Federal Pell Grants.

For HEERF funding, schools were required by the U.S. Department of Education to prioritize students with exceptional financial need, such as receiving Federal Pell grants. Therefore, students were only allowed to apply for these funds if they demonstrated financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is cost of attendance minus expected family contribution.

FAFSA filers who experienced a significant reduction in income (student or parent) since 2019 or received unemployment benefits in 2020 or 2021 are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Financial Aid. It may be possible through professional judgement to adjust the FAFSA information resulting in a reduction to the expected family contribution and an increase in eligibility for financial aid, including HEERF.

For this round of HEERF funding, international, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), undocumented, and other non-U.S. citizens are eligible for consideration. These students must complete a MyUI HEERF application available through Nov.5 to be considered for fall 2021 awards.

A second round of HEERF III funding will occur in March 2022.

More information about HEERF III application requirements can be found here.