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How to Get Your Relief Money From AU

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at American chapter.

As we all probably know, college students got left out of the Coronavirus Emergency relief payouts. Since most college students are still dependents, they are not eligible for the $1,200 payout. And since most college students are over 18 their parents are also not eligible for the $500 payout for children. Luckily for American University students, AU was awarded 3.16 million dollars by congress that was mandated to be used for student assistance. So how can you get your money?

Universities have been given the flexibility to disburse the funds and they aren’t required to give all students funds, just some students. American University has decided to allow students to apply for relief assistance. The maximum award any one student can be awarded is $1,500 and not everyone is guaranteed assistance. The application was released on May 6th and will close on May 16th. 

The eligibility requirements are that the student “must be enrolled in the semester for which the student is requesting aid, must be a degree-seeking student, must not be enrolled in a fully online program, must be an aid applicant that is eligible for Title IV aid, must have submitted 2019-2020 FAFSA, (and whose) enrollment was impacted by COVID-19.” Additionally, the application materials are subject to confirmation under law. 

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Application includes requestor information, eligibility criteria, and expense information. Expense information asks you to describe the costs you had in six categories: course materials, technology, food, housing, health care, and childcare. You only have ten days to apply for your relief money and you will be notified of the award in between 7-10 business days. 

Sources: 1, 2

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Abby Henry, the President of Her Campus at American, uses she/her pronouns. She is a junior at American University studying Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and Sociology. Her hometown is Canton, Ohio and she previously attended Syracuse University in New York. Her passions include but are not limited to transnational feminism, vegan chicken nuggets, and queer reproductive justice.