State Colleges to Release CARES Act Student Need Application

For Immediate Release: April 23, 2020
Contact: Judi Yorges, Director of External Relations and Communications, 402.471.2505

LINCOLN – Chadron State, Peru State, and Wayne State Colleges are finalizing their certifications required by the U.S. Department of Education to receive CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act funding dedicated to providing aid to students. Colleges will then send out CARES Act applications to eligible students over the next week.

College students were among the first impacted by the efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Students were asked to transition to virtual learning and not return to campus, which has caused additional financial hardships for students and their families.

“Our students have risen to the challenges presented by COVID-19 to continue their educations, but it has not been without significant hardship,” said Paul Turman, Chancellor of the Nebraska State College System. “Through the CARES Act application, students will be able to describe how they have been impacted so that we can strategically direct aid dollars to support our students in continuing their education and completing their degrees.”

Under the CARES Act, the Education Stabilization Fund provides approximately $4.4 million in fiscal support to the State Colleges. At least 50 percent of the institutional funds must go directly to emergency financial aid or grants to students to cover basic needs such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care. Colleges will draw upon survey or data collected through the application to determine how to allocate funds directly to students demonstrating the most significant need.

As Nebraska’s open-access public institutions, the State Colleges have been committed to ensuring affordable options for students pursuing a 4-year degree.  The CARES Act funds, along with the average $5,200 in grant and aid awarded to existing undergraduate students, can make a significant impact on covering the annual price of tuition at approximately $5,500.

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