UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In April, Penn State awarded emergency financial aid grants to more than 23,000 students during the first of two rounds of funding from the University’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II allocation, as established by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). Penn State is reminding students who were awarded a first-round CRRSAA grant that they must log in to LionPATH to accept or decline the funding by 5 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, June 1.
All students who were awarded a CRRSAA emergency financial aid grant received notification of the funding, along with follow-up reminders, via their Penn State email account. Students who are unsure if they received a first-round grant, as well as those who have not yet acted on their award notification, are encouraged to check their Penn State email and LionPATH accounts and, if applicable, complete their CRRSAA Funding Activity Guide in LionPATH to accept or decline the award.
To date, approximately 2,000 of the 23,352 total Round 1 CRRSAA awards have not yet been accepted. All unclaimed funds after June 1 will be awarded to other students during an application-based second round of CRRSAA funding, which will open in early June. Additional details about the second-round process and a link to the online application will be shared broadly soon. CRRSAA grants totaling approximately $27.5 million will be disbursed to Penn State students over both funding rounds.
Students were identified to receive a first-round grant based on financial need, as determined by data from their 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Grants range from $1,000 to $1,200 and can be used to cover any component of a student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs due to COVID-19, including tuition, housing, health care (including mental health care), and child care, provided that the expense was incurred on or after the start of the national COVID-19 emergency on March 13, 2020.
When accepting their grant, students will be required to affirm that the money will be used for eligible expenses in accordance with federal requirements. Students will be able to request a lower grant amount if their personal circumstances do not require the full award offer. Students also will be able to choose if they would like the money to be refunded to them directly, applied to an outstanding balance on their student account for spring 2021, or a combination of the two options.
Answers to frequently asked questions about the emergency grants are available on Penn State’s official coronavirus information website.