In an October 18 email the Office of Financial Aid announced $3,000 will be issued to 2,013 students as a part of the university’s COVID-Relief fund. 

This government fund, the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III), awarded the New School $14.2 million this fall. The money was to be distributed to students who have faced particular financial hardship because of the pandemic, and to the university for COVID safety measures such as “personal protection equipment, COVID-19 testing costs, ventilation upgrades, and costs to support virtual learning,” according to the Office of Financial Aid. 

Though the funds were to be split, half for student aid and half for institutional aid, the New School chose to give $5.7 million of the institutional aid to erase debt for degree students who had unpaid tuition and fee balances from the spring, summer, and fall 2020 semesters.

With the help of an advisory committee, composed of students from the University Student Senate and members of The New School staff, the university reached a consensus on the threshold at which students would qualify to receive funds. In their email, the Office of Financial aid stated these students who met the following criteria qualified:

• “Undergraduate, U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens with a verified, completed FAFSA form on file with Financial Aid as of October 1, 2021 and an EFC (Expected Family Contribution) below $20,000
• International students whose financial aid appeal was denied prior to October 1, 2021 and [have] demonstrated need due to COVID-19 in their appeal application
• Graduate students who did not receive HEERF II funds, [have] demonstrated need in their appeal application, and whose financial aid appeal was denied prior to October 1, 2021.”

There was no application process for the relief funds, but students who received money from the fund had to complete a survey issued by the HEERF III. The survey was distributed as  a Google Form, which students had to complete by October 24 in order to choose how they wished to receive their funds. Recipients were given the option to apply the funds directly to any remaining balance due to the university, or to receive the money directly, in the form of a check or direct deposit. The funds took up to five days to become available.

The HEERF III was a part of The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a government stimulus package containing $1.9 trillion to help the country recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The package allocated $39.6 billion specifically for higher education, in an effort to “serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the U.S. Department of Education. 

In the spring, an additional $1 million of this fund will be given to students who qualified for the Pell Grant, which is roughly around 770 students. 

Approximately $1 million has been reserved to assist roughly 770 Pell students in the spring. The number of students eligible for spring HEERF III awards may change slightly as students withdraw, graduate, defer or otherwise adjust their studies. 

This number—2,013 students—was divided into $7.1 million and included a buffer to provide supplemental awards for Pell recipients in the spring.