CARES Act (HEERF I), CRRSAA (HEERF II), and ARP (HEERF III) Student Financial Aid Grants Public Disclosures

This webpage is designed to disclose various CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF I), CRRSAA Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II), and ARP Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III) Student Financial Aid Grant facts and data required in TCC's CARES Act, CRRSAA, and ARP Certification and Agreement.

Overview and Reporting Requirements

HEERF III

In May 2021, TCC agreed to the American Rescue Plan (ARP), Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III) Certification and Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) that required TCC to make additional Student Financial Aid Grants available to students for up to $44.5 million.

HEERF II

In January 2021, TCC agreed to the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act 2021 (CRRSAA), Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF II) Certification and Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) that required TCC to make additional Student Financial Aid Grants available to students up to same amount as required in the CARES Act: $10,992,243.

HEERF I

Section 18004(a)(1) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorized the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to allocate formula grant funds to Tarrant County College (TCC) in the amount of $21,984,486. Section 18004(c) of the CARES Act requires TCC to use no less than fifty percent of the funds received ($10,992,243) to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of TCC campus operations due to coronavirus.

In April 2020, TCC executed a CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Certification and Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) that provides assurance that TCC intends to make Emergency Financial Aid Grants available to students and directs TCC to submit a report to the Secretary describing the use of funds distributed from the HEERF.

Quarterly Reports

In September of 2020, the Department of Education sent out a guidance requiring all Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Grantees who have received a Section 18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion grant must publicly post the Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report on a quarterly basis.

Review TCC's HEERF quarterly reports.

Allocation and Award Data

HEERF III

TCC received $44.5 Million for HEERF III from the DOE pursuant to the institution's Certification and Agreement for Student Financial Aid Grants.

As of April 1, 2022, all HEERF III funds have been disbursed.

TCC estimates as of March 31, 2022, that 41,845 students are eligible to receive HEERF III Student Financial Aid Grants.

HEERF II

TCC received $10,992,243 for HEERF II (amount equal to CARES Act allocation) from the DOE pursuant to the institution's Certification and Agreement for Student Financial Aid Grants.

As of July 1, 2021, all HEERF II funds have been disbursed.

TCC estimates as of June 30, 2021, that 36,153 students are eligible to receive HEERF II Student Financial Aid Grants.

HEERF I

TCC received $10,992,243 for HEERF I (50% of the total allocation) from the DOE pursuant to the institution's Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

As of December 31, 2020, all HEERF I funds had been disbursed.

TCC estimates as of May 8, 2020, that 45,904 students are 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 under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

Categories/Methods

HEERF III (Program Closed)

TCC has established the following eligibility criteria/program information for students to receive ARP HEERF III Student Financial Aid Grants.

COVID Relief Grants/HEERF III Student Assistance

  • Eligibility criteria:
    • Enrolled in at least 1 credit hours or 16 contact hours (continuing education); and
    • Have a completed FAFSA with Expected Family Contribution (EFC) less than or equal to $8,500; or
    • Online Request Form
  • Eligible students will receive a grant for $1,500 per semester.
  • Assistance is available for Fall 2021, Spring 2022, limited funding Summer 2022, Quarter 1 2021, Quarter 2 2021, and limited funding Quarter 3 2022. Students may receive assistance for each semester/quarter if they qualify.
  • Grants were direct payments to students or applied to tuition.
  • TCC provided the following instructions, directions, or guidance to students:
    • An email to all students who received a $1,500 HEERF III Student Grant to explain the grant and notification of the student's selection.

HEERF II (Program Closed)

TCC has established the following eligibility criteria/program information for students to receive CRRSAA HEERF II Student Financial Aid Grants.

COVID Relief Grants/HEERF II Student Assistance

  • Eligibility criteria:
    • U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen; and
    • Enrolled in at least 1 credit hours or 16 contact hours (continuing education); and
    • Have a completed FAFSA with Expected Family Contribution (EFC) less than or equal to $8,500; and
    • Unmet need greater than or equal to $1,000.
  • Eligible students will receive a grant for $1,000 per semester.
  • Assistance is available for Spring 2021, Summer 2021, and Fall 2021. Students may receive assistance for each semester if they qualify.
  • All grants will continue to be direct payments to students.
  • TCC provided the following instructions, directions, or guidance to students:
    • An email to all students who received a $1,000 HEERF II Student Grant to explain the grant and notification of the student's selection.

HEERF I (Program Closed)

TCC has established two categories of students eligible to receive CARES Act Section 18004(a)(1) Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

Category 1: Fixed Grant

  • Eligible students receive a fixed emergency grant in the amount of $600.
  • Eligibility criteria:
    • All Title IV eligible students with a completed FAFSA and Expected Family Contribution (EFC) less than or equal to $8,577.
    • Students are required to be enrolled in Spring 2020 or Fall semester course(s) at the time of the award.
  • Students enrolled for Spring 2020 exclusively in TCC Connect, TCC's virtual campus, distance learning courses are ineligible to receive these fixed grants (because there was no disruption in campus operations and exclusively online students were excluded from the original allocation formula).
  • Fixed Grants in the amount of $600 were awarded to category 1 students due to the following.
    • TCC determined these students to be its most financially needy students.
    • All eligible students experienced a COVID-19 campus operations disruption when TCC moved all face-to-face classes to online learning classes.
    • TCC's existing Eliminating Barriers emergency aid program, consultation with other institutions and research on current technology costs revealed that $600 was an appropriate amount to award to these eligible students.
  • TCC provided the following instructions, directions, or guidance to students concerning the category 1 Emergency Financial Aid Grants:
    • An email to all students who received a fixed $600 HEERF Emergency Grant to explain the grant and notification of the student's selection.

Category 2: Online Request Grant

  • Students will complete an online request form to document which semester they experience a disruption to campus operations due to COVID-19 and the amount of the expense they paid.
    • Students will be required to briefly explain the nature of the expense and disruption.
  • Eligible students can qualify for $250, $400, $500, $750 or $1,000 grants, based on the actual expense incurred and reported by the student on the request form.
  • Students will be limited one request form.
  • TCC provided the following instructions, directions, or guidance to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants for category 2:
    • TCC published an emergency financial aid grants webpage to our website (tccd.edu) that provides students and the public with information on how to request an emergency grant, who is eligible to request an emergency grant, a request form and what paid expenses are eligible for emergency grant funding.
    • TCC also emailed all potentially eligible Spring 2020, Summer 2020, and Fall 2020 enrolled students with direct links to both TCC's HEERF Emergency Grant webpage and request form.
    • Information about HEERF emergency grants was published on TCC's social media sites and in the announcements banner of TCC's main webpage.

Updated September 23, 2024