All HEERF III Funds have been awarded and this grant is now closed.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) was signed in to law on March 11, 2021.  The ARP provides for education stabilization through emergency funding to institutions of higher education through Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF III). Institutions accepting ARP funding must commit to providing at least 50% of the funds in the form of financial aid grants to students, which can be used for any component of the student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus. Cowley’s minimum required allocation to students is $2,576,229.

Cowley is awarding the HEERF III grant through block awards to students. No application is necessary and award amounts are based on enrollment and financial status with Pell eligible students prioritized. 

Cowley will be processing 2 rounds of HEERF III Funds.  You must meet the following requirements to qualify:

ROUND 1 – SUMMER 2021:

ROUND 2 – FALL 2021:

ROUND 3 – SPRING 2022 – FINAL ROUND:

Through the American Rescue Plan, DACA and International Students are NOW eligible for HEERF III funds and will fall into one of the categories as outlined in the HEERF III FAQs and awarded accordingly.  If you wish to have your HEERF III Funds applied to your account balance, please log into your Cowley Connect account and fill out the Opt-In form.

Questions? Contact financialaid@cowley.edu or 620-441-5304.

HEERF III FAQ – ARP

Institutions are allowed much broader eligibility criteria for ARP HEERF III awards as opposed to the criteria identified by the U.S. Department of Education for CARES HEERF I and HEERF II funding. International, DACA, and Undocumented students are NOW eligible. Institutions must prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell grants.

  • Enrolled in 1 or more credit hour for the Summer 2021 semester on July 6th, 2021
  • Enrolled in 1 or more credit hour for the Fall 2021 semester as of October 22, 2021
  • Enrolled in 1 or more credit hour for the Spring 2022 semester as of February 25, 2022

Cowley is awarding HEERF III grants through block awards to students. Award amounts are based on enrollment and financial aid status with Pell eligible students prioritized.

ROUND 1: SUMMER 2021

Cowley’s model identifies 7 categories of award:

  • 6+ credit hours, FAFSA, Pell Eligible EFC
  • 1-5 credit hours, FAFSA, Pell Eligible EFC
  • 6+ credit hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell Eligible
  • 1-5 credit hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell Eligible
  • 6+ credit hours, NO FAFSA
  • 1-5 credit hours, NO FAFSA
  • High school students
  • Enrollment and financial aid status are determined on July 6th 2021. Students not enrolled by this date for Summer classes will not receive an award.

ROUND 2: FALL 2021

Cowley’s model identifies 10 categories of award:

  • 12+ credit hours, FAFSA, Pell Eligible EFC
  • 6+ credit hours, FAFSA, Pell Eligible EFC
  • 1-5 credit hours, FAFSA, Pell Eligible EFC
  • 12+ credit hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell Eligible
  • 6+ credit hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell Eligible
  • 1-5 credit hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell Eligible
  • 12+ credit hours, NO FAFSA
  • 6+ credit hours, NO FAFSA
  • 1-5 credit hours, NO FAFSA
  • High school student

Enrollment and financial aid status are determined on October 22nd 2021. Students not enrolled by this date for Fall classes will not receive an award.

ROUND 3: SPRING 2021 – FINAL ROUND

Cowley’s model identifies 10 categories of award:

  • 12+ credit hours, FAFSA, Pell Eligible EFC
  • 6+ credit hours, FAFSA, Pell Eligible EFC
  • 1-5 credit hours, FAFSA, Pell Eligible EFC
  • 12+ credit hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell Eligible
  • 6+ credit hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell Eligible
  • 1-5 credit hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell Eligible
  • 12+ credit hours, NO FAFSA
  • 6+ credit hours, NO FAFSA
  • 1-5 credit hours, NO FAFSA
  • High school students

Enrollment and financial aid status are determined on February 25th, 2022. Students not enrolled by this date for Spring classes will not receive an award.

Students who are enrolled in classes do not need to complete an application nor submit any paperwork to receive funds. Cowley is awarding HEERF III grants through block awards based on enrollment and financial aid status as noted above. You will however, need to sign the form to have your funds applied to your student billing account balance, if you so desire. This form is available on Tiger Connect.

HEERF III funds can be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus. Examples of permissible costs include:

  • Tuition and fees
  • Food
  • Housing
  • Health care (including mental health care)
  • Child care

Students may use HEERF III funds to reduce or possibly pay in full their account balance by completing an authorization form. To provide authorization, log into Cowley Connect and submit the Opt-In Form. The form is due NO LATER THAN Friday, February 25, 2022 and can be found on Cowley Connect.

Students not providing authorization will not have the grant applied to their Cowley account and will therefore receive a refund check. This may mean the student still has a balance due.

Students whose award is in excess of their student account charges will receive a credit balance refund for the difference in the form of a check.

HEERF III funds are meant to provide short-term assistance to students. Cowley will be awarding 2 rounds of HEERF III funds. Round 1 was for students enrolled in Summer 2021 classes. Round 2 will be awarded for the Fall 2021 semester beginning October 29,2021 and if funds remain available after the Fall 2021 disbursement, a Spring round is possible. Round 3 will be awarded for the Spring 2022 semester beginning March 11, 2022 and this will be the final round of HEERF Funding

The Cowley Financial Aid Office is committed to eliminating financial barriers and helping students identify ways to make their education affordable. If you would like information regarding financial aid opportunities, or the financial aid process at Cowley, please email financialaid@cowley.edu.

HEERF III REPORTING – ARP

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) was signed in to law on March 11, 2021. The ARP provides for education stabilization through emergency funding to institutions of higher education through Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF III). Institutions accepting ARP funding must commit to providing at least 50% of the funds in the form of financial aid grants to students, which can be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus. Cowley’s minimum required allocation to students is $2,576,229.

HEERF Quarterly Reports

  1. 2021 HEERF Quarter 2 Report – 112221
  2. 2021 HEERF Quarter 3 Report – 112221
  3. 2021 HEERF Quarter 4 Report – 010622
  4. 2022 HEERF Quarter 1 Report – 040522
  5. 2022 HEERF Quarter 2 Report – 071022
  6. 2022 HEERF Quarter 3 Report – 100622
  7. 2022 HEERF Quarter 4 Report – 011723
  8. 2023 HEERF Quarter 1 Report – 040423
  9. 2023 HEERF Quarter 2 Report – 070623
AWARDING GRID FOR SUMMER 2021:
Hours Award Amounts
6+ Hours, FAFSA, Pell eligible $800
1-5 Hours, FAFSA, Pell eligible $650
6+ Hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell $600
1-5 Hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell $450
6+ Hours, No FAFSA $450
1-5 Hours, No FAFSA $300
High School Students $200

 

AWARDING GRID FOR FALL 2021:
Hours Award Amounts
12+ Hours, FAFSA, Pell eligible $1,200
6+ Hours, FAFSA, Pell eligible $900
1-5 Hours, FAFSA, Pell eligible $500
12+ Hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell $800
6+ Hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell $600
1-5 Hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell $300
12+ Hours, No FAFSA $500
6+ Hours, No FAFSA $300
1-5 Hours, No FAFSA $200
High School Students $200

 

AWARDING GRID FOR SPRING 2022:
Hours

Awards Amounts

12+ Hours, FAFSA Pell eligible $500
6+ Hours, FAFSA, Pell eligible $375
1-5 Hours, FAFSA, Pell eligible $200
12+ Hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell $325
6+ Hours, FAFSA, Non-Pell $250
1-5 Hours, FAFS, Non-Pell

$125

12+ Hours, No FAFSA $200
6+ Hours, No FAFSA $125
1-5 Hours, No FAFSA $75
High School Students $75

 

REPORTING TIMELINE:
  1. Reports are due quarterly and must be posted on the institution’s primary website no later than 10 calendar days after the calendar quarter on January 10, April 10, July 10, and October 10.
  2. Once funds are fully spent, the institution may indicate that this is the institution’s final quarterly posting and that it covers all remaining HEERF fund expenditures for that specific HEERF Student Portion of funding. After posting, no more quarterly public reporting of Student Portion funds is required.
QUARTERLY REPORT TOTAL FUNDS DISBURSED PERCENT OF FUNDS DISBURSED TOTAL STUDENTS AWARDED
Q2 2021 Reporting
Due: July 10, 2021
Date of Report: 7/7/21
Q2 2021: $0.00
Cumulative: $0.00
Q2 2021: 0.00%
Cumulative: 0.00%
Q2 2021: 0
Cumulative: 0
Q3 2021 Reporting
Due: October 10, 2021
Date of Report: 10/4/21
Q3 2021: $448,100
Cumulative: $448,100
Q3 2021: 17.4%
Cumulative: 17.4%
Q3 2021: 941
Cumulative: 941
Q4 2021 Reporting
Due: January 10, 2022
Date of Report: 1/4/2022
Q4 2021: $1,555,500
Cumulative: $2,003,600
Q4 2021: 60.4%
Cumulative: 77.8%
Q4 2021: 2,458
Cumulative: 3,399
Q1 2022 Reporting
Due: April 10, 2022
Date of Report: 4/4/2022
Q1 2022: $572,629
Cumulative: $2,576,229
Q1 2022: 22.2%
Cumulative: 100%
Q1 2022: 2,276
Cumulative: 5,675
President’s Authorization Statement

At Cowley College, we acknowledge that we have agreed to the terms of the ARP (American Rescue Plan) certification and agreement guidelines. We also acknowledge that we are using these funds to provide the mandated amount of 50% of emergency financial aid grants to our students until funds are exhausted.

Sincerely,

signature

Dr. Dennis C. Rittle, CC President

Date January 10, 2022
Total # of Students Eligible 3,399
Total # of Students Receiving Funding 3,399
Total Funding Distributed $2,004,100
Acknowledgment

Cowley College acknowledges that as of this date, this figure represents the number of students who are eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and therefore eligible to receive an emergency financial aid grant as of the end of the Fall 2021 term. The remaining funds will be disbursed in the Spring 2022 term based on enrollment data in February 2022.

Cowley College acknowledges that as of this date, the figure indicated represents the number of students who have received an emergency financial aid grant and the total funding that has been distributed to students as of our January 10, 2022 reporting date.