CARES Act final fund report

July 13, 2020

The information below is provided in compliance with the Department of Education’s CARES Act Reporting requirements. The information in this report was compiled on July 13, 2020.

1. An acknowledgement that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

The University of Nevada, Reno acknowledges that it signed and returned the federal Certification and Agreement to receive CARES Act funding on April 14, 2020 and agreed to use no less than 50% of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Grants to students.

2. The total amount of funds that the institution will receive or has received from the Department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement [for] Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.

The University of Nevada, Reno received $7,122,267 million from the US Department of Education for CARES Emergency Financial Aid Grants to be distributed to students.

3. The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act as of the date of submission (i.e., as of the 30-day Report and every 45 days thereafter).

As of July 13, 2020, the University of Nevada, Reno has distributed $7,122,267 directly to students, in accordance with Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act

4. The estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

The University of Nevada, Reno had approximately 11,800 students eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the The CARES Act provides emergency financial aid grant funds to address the financial need of students due to the disruption of campus operations and the related expenses they incurred. Therefore, the CARES Act limited eligibility of emergency grants to students who were actively participating in courses and programs that were not exclusively online on or after March 13. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education determined that international and undocumented students were not eligible for federal grants.

Within the total population, institutions were instructed to determine eligibility criteria for distribution of the grant and encouraged to prioritize students with the greatest need.

5. The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

As of July 13, 2020, the University of Nevada, Reno has distributed all of the CARES Act funds to 8,244 eligible students.

6. The method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.

The federal government instructed the University of Nevada, Reno to determine eligibility criteria for distribution of emergency financial aid grant and encouraged the university to prioritize students with the greatest need.

The University of Nevada, Reno created an application for eligible students to apply for the CARES Act funding. We notified students that they could apply via an electronic application process that was made available through University Announcements, posted on its primary website and emailed to all students. Applicants were required to complete an application for the CARES Act Funding.

Award amounts depended on each student’s enrollment level and socioeconomic circumstances. The amounts for undergraduate and graduate students range from $200 to $1,000, and from $200 to $5,000 for students in the School of Medicine.

7. Any instructions, directions or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

We partnered with the Office of Marketing and Communications to create a message that would be sent out to all students and created information for the web pages that students could access. Here is where they can find the information:

CARES Act page. A standalone page for the CARES Act funding information under the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Financial Aid and Scholarships. Information on the top of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships home page about the CARES Act that points students to the CARES Act page.

Coronavirus students page. Information about the CARES Act funding availability to the top of the page, including a link that directs students to the CARES Act page under Financial Aid.

Parents page. Added the CARES Act information under the latest COVID-19 updates on the parents page with a link to the CARES Act page under Financial Aid.

On April 28 all of the CARES Act funding information went live online. We sent out 19,000 communication message to students through PeopleSoft. We also sent emails out to the students as well.

We posted the CARES Act funding information through Instagram and on Facebook. We sent out communications to students that have a FAFSA on file with us but have not completed the COVID-19 form. We sent out a reminder on 5/4/2020 to students to apply for the funds. We will be sending out weekly reminders to students.