Earlier this year the University of Arizona announced a new student emergency fund for UA students who needed special aid due to the pandemic. This fund is called the CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. 

According to the UA Scholarships and Financial Aid website, $15.4 million has been granted for this student relief fund. The main purpose for the allocation of funds is to aid students’ expenses that resulted from the interruption of campus operations. 

RELATED: UA’s new Student Emergency Fund to aid financially struggling students

“To date, a total of $3.9M in direct grants has been disbursed to 7,991 eligible undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who experienced disruption and were displaced from campus housing, lost funding for meal plans, likely had to unexpectedly travel long distances, and/or live in rural areas of Arizona,” according to the UA Scholarships and Financial Aid website. 

All students who have filled out a FAFSA application are being reviewed for eligibility to receive aid. If a student is deemed eligible, they will automatically receive the funds. The grants will go directly to the student for them to use as they wish, not to the student’s bursar account.