Through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, the U.S. Department of Education made $10.4 million in funds available to Southeastern.
As required by the federal legislation, half of the funds, approximately $5.2 million, was offered directly to students in the form of financial grants to cover increased cost of university attendance associated with the disruption of campus operations. The remaining half is being used by Southeastern to help cover additional expenses related to the crisis.
Many students incurred increased costs associated with the disruption of campus operations due to the pandemic, such as unexpected moving and housing costs, as well as technology and equipment purchases to transition to virtual learning. Understandably, this caused financial hardship for many.
Thankfully, most of our students were eligible to apply for the financial assistance. To be eligible to apply for a Financial Relief Grant, the student must have been a degree-seeking graduate or undergraduate student enrolled in the Spring 2020 semester and not enrolled in a 100 percent online program.
A short application process helped us start to disburse funds quickly. As of May 26, 6,715 students had been awarded $4,289,075 in relief funds.
Funding was also allocated by the Southeastern Foundation to provide support to international students during this difficult time.
