Financial Aid
CARES Act funding for students
MSU Denver is committed to addressing the obstacles our students are facing as a result of the COVID-19 public health crisis.
The University is excited to have distributed $7.1 million in funding from the CARES Act to our students.
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COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant - update
MSU Denver opened the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant on May 5. We reached the maximum number of applications we were able to support with available funding and therefore, closed the application effective May 27.
We continue to process and respond to current applications in the order in which they were received. If you already submitted an application, please look for an email from the Office of Financial Aid and the Student Care Center within 10 business days. If you were unable to submit an application and need financial assistance, please review the eligibility requirements for the Student Emergency Retention Fund. You can also file a Care Referral to speak with a case manager about additional support and resources. We are here to assist you during this difficult time, so please let us know how we can help.
COVID19 Impact Grant - update
MSU Denver opened the COVID-19 Impact Grant on May 5, awarding thousands of grants to students with high financial needs. If you received one of these grants, you had until May 31, 2020 to accept the grant through self-certification using the Access the Impact Grant Certification Form. It was required that you self-certified your eligibility for these funds by May 31 or the grant could be canceled.
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More about CARES Act funding at MSU Denver:
Eligible students can use these funds to help address their own financial hardship or expenses related to any of these categories:
- Food
- Housing
- Course materials
- Technology
- Health care
- Childcare expenses
Am I eligible?
To be eligible to receive CARES Act funding, you must:
- Be eligible for federal student aid as determined by completing a 2019/2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov
- Have attended at least one in-person class during the Spring 2020 term.
- Have experienced financial hardship and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students had to meet the above criteria by Friday, May 15, to ensure full consideration for this limited CARES Act funding.
How do I receive funding?
MSU Denver developed two programs for awarding CARES Act funding to students.
- The COVID-19 Impact Grant - awarded to eligible students with an Expected Family Contribution of less than $30,000 as calculated by the FAFSA. If qualified, students receive an email explaining the self-certification steps required to receive these funds.
- The COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant - aiming to make funds available to a broader scope of students who also have immediate needs. These grants are available to eligible students regardless of Expected Family Contribution but require an additional application. ***Please note - This application is now closed.
Funds will be delivered to eligible students via direct deposit or the U.S. Mail. Please ensure your mailing address and/or direct deposit information is current and accurate in the Student Hub.
CARES Act
Compliance Reporting
Section 18004(e) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act” or the “Act”), Pub. L. No. 116-136, 134 Stat. 281 (March 27, 2020), directs institutions receiving funds under Section 18004 of the Act to submit (in a time and manner required by the US Department of Education’s Secretary) a report to the Secretary describing the use of funds distributed from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (“HEERF”). The following information is designed to satisfy the reporting requirements as established by the Secretary:
On April 11, 2020 Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) signed and returned to the US Department of Education via grants.gov the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Certification and Agreement for the minimum student allocation of emergency financial aid grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) and 18004(c) of the CARES Act. Per the HEERF Certification and Agreement, MSU Denver was allocated $14,390,083 and has already initiated awarding these funds with the intention to use no less than 50% of the funds under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. On April 22, 2020, MSU Denver received via G5 the institution’s minimum student allocation of HEERF funds, totaling $7,195,042.
Finally, the U.S. Department of Education requires MSU Denver document any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants. A summary of those communications and the generalized content therein follows (examples of these communications are on file with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships):
- Students awarded under the COVID-19 Impact Grant were directed via student email to a web-based application used to certify their financial hardship and expense related to disruption of campus activities due to the coronavirus.
- Broad email messaging to all students via the Student Affairs office announced the launch of both emergency grant programs (https://www.msudenver.edu/coronavirus-update/covid19-cares-act-funding-050520/). Information was also made available to students via web resources found at the following link as well as student and staff related publications. https://www.msudenver.edu/financialaid/caresact/
- COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant was part of broader communications and students were directed to a simplified applications process to identify their eligibility for CARES Act funds as well as other university and community-based resources that might be available.
- Students in both emergency grant processes were affirmed of the eligibility status and what to expect as far as payment of funds.