ARP/HEERF III

American Rescue Plan (HEERF III) Information

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) III was signed into law. This plan provides emergency funding to prevent, prepare for and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

Following guidance from the Department of Education, Southeast Community College has determined which students are eligible to receive HEERF III grants and the amount that each student will receive. These grants will be distributed to students automatically. Students will not need to apply to receive these funds.

Eligible students must meet the following requirements:

  • Must be enrolled (or have been enrolled) in undergraduate classes during the Fall 2021 semester and/or Spring 2022 semester as of census date to receive the payment. This excludes students enrolled in Dual Credit/SENCAP or TCA courses.
  • Eligible students include refugees, asylum seekers, International students, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients.
  • There is no application for HEERF III funds.
  • The FAFSA is not required to receive a HEERF III payment. However, Expected Family Contribution (EFC) information taken from the FAFSA will be used for the purposes of determining exceptional financial need.

Southeast Community College is required to distribute grant amounts based on a student’s demonstrated need. The Department of Education encourages the use of FAFSA data and, more specifically, the student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to measure this financial need.

After a review of our student information, the following distribution schedule was developed for the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters:

  • Students with an EFC that made them eligible to receive Pell grants during the Fall 2021 semester will receive $900.00 Due to limitations in funding, students with an EFC that made them eligible to receive Pell grants during the Spring 2022 semester will receive $700.00.
  • Students who did not have an EFC, or had an EFC that exceeded the amount needed to receive Pell grants during the Fall 2021 semester will receive $700.00. Due to limitations in funding, students who did not have an EFC, or had an EFC that exceeded the amount needed to receive Pell grants during the Spring 2022 semester will receive $500.00.
  • The ARP/HEERF III Additional Relief Application is no longer available, as of February 23, 2022.

HEERF III emergency aid will be disbursed automatically to eligible students. Students do not need to apply to receive this funding. Students are strongly encouraged to sign up for Fast Refund to receive their grants through direct deposit. 

  • The deadline to sign up for Fast Refund to receive the HEERF III Fall payment grant by direct deposit was October 22, 2021.
  • The deadline to sign up for Fast Refund to receive the HEERF III Spring payment grant by direct deposit is March 4, 2022.

Students who do not sign up for Fast Refund will receive a check sent via U.S Mail to their address on file at SCC. Students are encouraged to review their address on file as soon as possible to ensure the check is sent to the correct address. You can find your mailing address on the Hub (login required) at Webadvisor for Students/Academic Profile/My profile.

In order to sign up for Fast Refund please do the following:

  1. Log into the Hub (login required).
  2. Under the WebAdvisor tab, click "WEBADVISOR FOR STUDENTS".
  3. Next click "Student Financial Info".
  4. Finally click "Fast Refunds!"
  5. This will take you to a page that contains both SCC's logo and the logo for Union Bank & Trust. There you will select how you want to set up your Direct deposit.

Students who sign up for Fast Refund should receive their deposit for the Fall semester disbursement as early as November 4, 2021. Students receiving a check should expect an additional week or longer for delivery.

Student who sign up for Fast Refund should receive their deposit for the Spring semester disbursement as early as March 10, 2022. Students receiving a check should expect an additional week or longer for delivery.

The HEERF III grant aid may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for any emergency costs that arise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare. Students are strongly encouraged to consider using their HEERF III grant to pay for technology that will assist them in their classroom success.

A student may choose to use their HEERF III grant to pay off anything due to the College. However, the College will not be deducting any amounts due before distributing these funds.

No, students are not required to pay back their grant and a HEERF III grant is not considered taxable income.

No, this is an emergency grant and it will not impact your current or future financial aid.

There are two notable differences between ARP/HEERF III and CRRSAA/HEERF II for students:

  • Student eligibility under the ARP/HEERF III program is different. Most notably, students who were previously not eligible to receive these grants may now receive them. This includes undocumented, DACA, and international students.
  • ARP/HEERF III requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional financial need, such as students who receive Pell Grants, in awarding emergency aid. However, the ARP does not require students to have completed FAFSA information on file to award students.

Additional information about ARP/HEERF III (PDF) can be found on the Department of Education website.