CARES/HEERF Quarterly Reporting General Information

General Provisions

Institutions receiving funds under CARES Act (CRRSA 18004(a)(1) and 18004(a)(2)), HEERF II (CSSRA 314(a)(1)) and HEERF III (ARP 2003(a)(1)) are required to post a report that is accessible to the public on the institution’s primary website describing the use of funds distributed from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds. This page provides information about Montclair State University’s participation in the CARES Act and HEERF Relief funds and the use of the college’s Student, Institutional, and Grant to Minority Serving Institutions portions. This information will be updated no later than 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter.

Montclair State University acknowledges that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement for the Institutional Portion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund under the CARES Act to the Department of Education and assures that the institution has used, or intends to use no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1), Section 18004(a)(2), CRRSA 18004(a)(1), 18004(a)(2) and ARP 2003(a)(1) to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

CARES Act Grant Processing

The methods used to determine student eligibility and grant amounts received from the CARES Act funding included:

• Students requested CARES Act funding by completing an application indicating specific impacts each student suffered due to the crisis.
• Applications were reviewed for one or more of the allowable criteria suggested in the CARES Act legislation and other items including, but not limited to expensive related to the cost of attendance such as:
  • Housing, food, medical, course materials, technology access and child care.
  • Enrolled in the Spring 2020 term as a matriculated student.
  • Eligible for funding under the Title IV Higher Education Act of 1985 with a FASFA on file at the University.

The amount students received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act varied on a case-by-case basis. Each application was reviewed for one or more of the allowable criteria combined with other data available to the institution.

Instructions and guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants included the application for grant funds itself, an FAQ page on the institution’s website and referrals from staff across campus.

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) / Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Grant Processing

The methods used to determine student eligibility and grant amounts received from this portion of CARES/HEERF II funding included:

• Students with a 0 EFC taking summer courses who have applied for university grant assistance and are unable to pay the balance of their charges.
• Students who have a significant balance due to the institution which is preventing their ability to continue their education at the institution.
• Needy students who have difficulty paying their tuition and/or housing expenses for the 2020-2021 and/or 2021-2022 years.

The grant amount students received under Section 18004(a)(2) of the CARES Act, CSSRA 314(a)(1) or ARP 203 (a)(1) MSI HEERF varies on a case-by-case basis.

HEERF II Processing

The institution awarded funding from the HEERF II tranche of funds to students, including undocumented students, based on the following criteria:

•   Unmet need based on a unique calculation determined by the University Administration.

•   An application to all students via email to assess individual circumstances which fell under one of the categories above.
  • Within this application, students had the option to opt-in to have the grant posted to their account.
  • For students that chose not to opt-in, the grant was paid as a pass-through via Student Accounts.

Based on the Tuesday, May 11, 2021 HEERF III FAQ, eligibility was expanded.  For HEERF II Funds, Montclair will determined eligibility based on the following:

• Student submitted a FAFSA or New Jersey Alternative Application (for Dreamers) for either the 2020-2021 or 2021-2022 academic years to provide a measure of their financial need.
• Student must have been enrolled at some point since Saturday, March 13, 2020 through the 2021-2022 academic year.

Grant amounts varied based on individual circumstances.

HEERF III Processing

Funds from this tranche of funds were distributed to students enrolled for the fall 2021and/or spring 2022 term based on a unique calculation determined by the University Administration, considering several different factors: Pell eligible, prior outstanding balance, student loan borrowing at Montclair, EFC, use of the payment plan, etc.

Eligible students received their grant against their current account (if they opted-in via an application) or as a pass-through via Direct Deposit or check from Student Accounts.

Additional funds were targeted to students enrolled at the University who had not received any prior CARES or HEERF funds since the start of the pandemic. These students were sent a survey to collect information about how the pandemic impacted them. They could also opt-in for a payment against their account or payment via Direct Deposit or check.

In addition, students who have a significant balance due to the institution which is preventing their ability to continue their education at the institution.

Grant amounts varied based on individual circumstances captured by the need calculation.

Institutional Share Processing

Some funds received under the Institutional Share portion of the HEERF grants were used for Re-engagement of undergraduate students who had stopped out of the institution anytime since the pandemic began and who had any amount of an outstanding balance due to the institution. By addressing the financial hardship this group experienced, the hope was to enable students to continue with their educational plans.

Institutional share funds were used to pay the entire outstanding balance through winter 2021 as a direct payment to the account.