View the full CARES Act Student Portion and Institutional Portion Emergency Aid Fund Report.

As of 6/4/20, the $6,040,329 JMU received in CARES Act funds has all been awarded. At this time, we cannot accept any additional appeals for assistance.  The information on the rest of this website is continuing to be displayed to outline how these funds were distributed.

As a result of Congress passing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, JMU has been allocated $6,040,329 in emergency student aid to assist eligible students who incurred “expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.”

Once the CARES Act was passed into law, it fell to the Department of Education (ED) to provide guidance to higher education institutions regarding implementation of the provisions. Guidance from ED was key in determining how the funds would be distributed to our students. The key components of this guidance that played a factor in our decision are the following:

• Funds can only be awarded to students for “expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.”

• Students receiving these funds must meet the eligibility criteria in Section 484 of the Title IV Higher Education Act. This includes, but is not limited to, the demonstration of the following: be making satisfactory academic progress; not owe an overpayment on Title IV grants or loans; not be in default on a Title IV loan; file "as part of the original financial aid application process" a certification that includes statement of educational purpose and valid Social Security Number, be a U.S. citizen or national, permanent resident, or other eligible noncitizen; have returned fraudulently obtained Title IV funds if convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to charges; not have fraudulently received Title IV loans in excess of annual or aggregate limits; have repaid Title IV loan amounts in excess of annual or aggregate limits if obtained inadvertently; have Selective Service registration verified (if student is a male); not have a federal or state conviction for drug possession or sale, with certain time limitations. While this does not specify students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the only way to determine if a student meets the Section 484 requirements is for a FAFSA to be filed.

As a result of this guidance, JMU will be awarding the emergency financial aid funds from the CARES Act to the following groups of students, and under the following conditions:

1. Group 1: Spring 2020 enrolled students who are in a degree program, enrolled at least half-time, have a 2019-20 FAFSA on file with JMU, meet the Section 484 criteria, and have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA less than 22,950. These students will be offered a $1,000 award. Students not meeting the Group 1 criteria when those offers were made will not automatically be offered an award if they later meet the criteria. Instead, those students will need to follow the Group 2 instructions to be considered for funds.

2. Group 2: Title IV eligible students (enrolled at least half-time) meeting Section 484 of the Higher Education Act who have qualifying expenses and do not see a $1,000 award offered in MyMadison, may submit an individual appeal for up to $1,000. Please check the 2019-20 financial aid section of your MyMadison account to see if you have been offered an award before submitting an appeal. Appeals may be submitted for expenses incurred in Spring 2020 or Summer 2020, as long as they are related to campus disruptions due to COVID-19.

Students may not receive more than $1,000 in total from CARES Act funding, so individual appeals will not be accepted for any student who received the $1,000 offer in Group 1.

It should be noted that students in the CS InfoSec and RN to BSN programs are not eligible for these funds, as ED stated students enrolled in programs that are 100% on-line are ineligible to receive these funds.

Awarding will take place in two phases:

• Group 1 Students: The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships will post an “offered” award for the student in MyMadison. Once the awards are loaded, students will be sent an e-mail to their JMU e-mail account directing them to MyMadison.  
 
• • Students will have the opportunity to accept or decline the award.

• • Students have the opportunity to accept less than the award offered in MyMadison if the expenses incurred were not at that level. Reducing the award will make funds available to other students who otherwise might not receive assistance due to funding limitations.

• • The offer will remain available for a specific period of time, which will be outlined in the e-mail notice. Awards not accepted by the deadline will be canceled.
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  • By accepting the offer, students are confirming they have incurred “expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.” Students who have not incurred such expenses should decline the award.

•  Group 2 Students: An individual appeal option is available for all Title IV eligible students not in Group 1. You can find information about submitting a CARES Act Emergency Aid Appeal on our website. 
   
  • As mentioned at the top of this website, all CARES Act funds have been awarded, so we are unable to accept any additional appeals at this time. As a result, the appeal link has been disabled.