FAU’s Financial Aid office has disbursed $6,097,000 to 8,710 students through the FAU Cares Emergency fund launched on April 1, to provide students with COVID-19 relief.

The emergency funds are considered financial aid for students and will be disbursed to student accounts, according to Ana Gagula, associate director of Student Financial Aid. Part of the fund also comes from donations, which the FAU Cares fund has received plenty, Gagula says.

“FAU Cares Emergency fund has received $106,725.00 through an ongoing campaign. $71,600 has been distributed to students as of May 22,” Gagula said.

While scholarships and grants are being adjusted, FAU will continue seeking donations for future emergency funds for all disaster situations. 

The FAU Cares online application was created for students to apply for emergency funding due to COVID-19.

“The fund can be used for educationally related expenses such as room, board, tuition, and personal expenses,” said Gagula.

FAU was also provided the Federal CARES Act, an emergency cash grant to fund students across the country who have been impacted by COVID-19 and related academic disruptions.

“Funds are disbursed to students via the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF),” Gagula said. 

To qualify for the Federal Cares grant, students must apply online, be enrolled and degree-seeking at FAU for the Spring 2020 term, be eligible for Title IV aid with a 2019-2020 FAFSA on file and be financially impacted due to disruption of academic operations caused by COVID-19.

And to be eligible for FAU Cares, students must apply online, be currently enrolled and degree-seeking, and experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19.

However, Gagula says students who were “enrolled in an exclusively online program” prior to the transition to remote instruction aren’t eligible to receive funds at this time.

“FAU’s HEERF allocation is $11,214,937 and will be disbursed until the funds are exhausted,” Gagula said.

Gagula advises that to expedite the receipt of emergency funds, students should consider setting up a direct deposit with the University’s Controller’s office.

Preparing for all disaster situations, FAU will continue to receive donations for future emergency funds to assist students in need of financial security. 

Richard Pereira is a contributing writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @Richard042601.