CARES Act

Savannah State University (SSU) has received $3,187,466 in federal funds in accordance with Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act HEERF II supplemental aid.  The purpose of this document is to demonstrate how SSU will distribute the funding to its students in accordance with the guidance provided by the United States Department of Education.

The guidance provided by the United States Department of Education (USDOE) suggests that institutions should provide the funds expeditiously to as many of their students as possible, while also attending to the students with the greatest needs.

SSU will utilize Banner financial data to confirm eligibility.  Additionally, SSU will issue funds only to students who are currently enrolled in the Spring 2021 term. International, dual-enrolled and transient students will not be eligible for these HEERF II funds. Only students who are citizens or eligible-non citizens may receive these HEERF II grants. Students will be given the option to receive a direct payment or have their funds put into their student account. SSU will maintain a record of the student’s authorization to have the funds placed on their student account.

SSU has established a tiered award structure based on Pell / non-Pell eligible, full-time/part-time, and expected family contribution to show exceptional need. The chart below outlines the number of students in each category and the award amount for each category. The maximum award amount will be $1,600.00 and no student will receive an aggregate award over the maximum Federal Pell grant limit of $6,495.

SSU will utilize $58,209.00 of the HEERF II Institution’s portion to fund a total $3,245,675.00 for student grants. SSU plans to issue these funds to students during the Spring 2021 term.

The federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided financial resources to colleges and universities through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (“HEERF”) . These resources allow universities to distribute grants to students in need to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.

Savannah State University has signed and returned to the Department the Certification an agreement that assures we intend to use no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

Savannah State’s total allocation is $6,374,932, meaning that $3,187,466 will be going to students.

At the time of reporting Savannah State had 2,654 Title IV eligible students that received the Cares Act Grant.

Savannah State’s allocation to students is distributed as follows:

If you have questions, please email caresact@savannahstate.edu