Department of Education releases HEERF III guidance

Note: all grants now may include DACA, undocumented and international students.

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), provides $39.6 billion in additional support for higher education institutions to serve students and ensure learning continues through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Education (ED) recently released new  guidance on the third round of HEERF grants authorized by the ARP. ED also released institution-level allocations for HEERF III grants to public and not-for-profit institutions, as well as proprietary  institutions.  

The ARP’s HEERF III requires that a minimum of 50% of an institution’s allocation be spent on students. Based on the allocation methodology, the minimum amount may be slightly greater than 50%. Allocation tables are linked above, which provides specifics on the total award amount and minimum amounts of student aid for each institution. For-profit institutions are required to spend 100% on students. The allowable uses of HEERF III are mostly consistent with HEERF II under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) and are as follows:

Student portion

• Any component of the student’s cost of attendance
• Emergency costs that arise due to COVID-19 such as tuition, food, housing, healthcare (including mental healthcare) and childcare

Institutional portion

• Defray expenses associated with COVID-19, including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff trainings, payroll and benefits, carry out student support activities authorized by the Higher Education Act (HEA) that address needs related to coronavirus