CARES/CRRSA Act Information Washington and Lee University

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) provides emergency funding to colleges and universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of the allocated funds must be used to provide emergency financial aid grants to Title IV-eligible students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, including eligible expenses under a student's cost of attendance such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care.

On December 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Response & Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act was signed in to law. Similar to the CARES Act passed in March 2020, this act included funding to institutions of higher education to make 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, such as tuition, food, housing health care or child care.

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act was signed in to law. Similar to the CARES Act passed in March 2020 and the CRRSA Act passed in December 2020, this act included funding to institutions of higher education to make 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, such as tuition, food, housing health care or child care as well as an Institutional Portion that is available to certain educational institutions to defray the costs incurred to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.