Dear Students,

We're resending this email that you received on Friday because we became aware that a few important links were missing from the original e-mail. Please find the updated communication below.
Dear Undergraduate Students, 
We are pleased to inform you that emergency financial aid grants, made possible through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), have been awarded to eligible undergraduate students. These grants are similar to those distributed in Spring 2020 through the CARES Act and Winter 2021 through the CRRSA Act.

Since we understand that each student has been uniquely impacted by the ongoing pandemic, we worked diligently to implement an awarding plan that ensured all students whose 2021-22 financial aid applications demonstrated financial need would receive support. 

The American Rescue Plan (ARP), which established and funds the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III), directs institutions to use this new federal funding to provide direct emergency financial grants to students for COVID19 expenses related to any component of their cost of attendance, including: tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health) and child care. ARP requires that institutions prioritize students with exceptional need, such as students who receive Pell Grants, in awarding financial aid grants to students.

The funding for this program is separate from the one authorized in the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA).

Eligibility for ARP Funding Through HEERF III

To establish eligibility for funding at UCSB, the 2021-22 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) were used in order to accurately determine financial need and corresponding award amounts.

COVID ARP Grant

The UCSB Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (OFAS) established the COVID ARP Grant to make direct awards to eligible undergraduate students. Award amounts are based on financial need: Pell Grant recipients received the largest awards, followed by non-Pell Grant recipients that were otherwise grant-eligible, and non-grant recipients with demonstrated financial need received the most modest awards. Targeted populations in each of the three categories received special consideration, including: student parents, formerly incarcerated students, former foster youth, unaccompanied homeless youth, and students with an approved dependency override.

Eligible undergraduate students were awarded on September 9, 2021. If you were determined eligible, you can view your COVID ARP Grant on My Aid Status. A total of 11,165 students received awards ranging from $1,500 to $3,250, equaling $23,059,250 in emergency funding

Refund  Timeline and Processing

The COVID ARP Grant will be refunded in full. This means that funds will not be applied to any outstanding balance on BARC.

Students enrolled in eRefund (direct deposit) with BARC can expect to receive their funding by September 17, 2021. If you are not signed up for eRefund, a refund check will be mailed to the permanent mailing address you have on file with BARC and is expected to be delivered during the week of September 20th.

Appealing for Support

We recognize that all students have been affected by the current situation one way or another. Though we were not able to award all students, we have established an appeal process so that students can notify us of their circumstances. If you are a student that did not receive the COVID ARP Grant, please complete the COVID ARP Grant Consideration Form. The following students are encouraged to complete the form: international students, students who did not submit a 2021-22 financial aid application, and students who did not have demonstrated financial need on their 2021-22 financial aid application. The consideration form will remain open until all remaining funding has been exhausted.

Differences in Grant Amounts: CARES (Spring 2020), CRRSAA (Winter 2021) and ARP (Fall 2021)

If you received a COVID-related grant previously, you may have noticed that they are different amounts. There are several reasons this might be the case, including but not limited to:

·        The authorizing legislation for all three funding sources, and therefore the guidance and allocations to colleges and universities, differs.

·        Different student aid applications were used to determine eligibility: 2019-20 aid application in Spring 2020, the 2020-21aid application in Winter 2021, and the 2021-22 aid application in Fall 2021.

·        Campus enrollment fluctuates from year to year.

You may also notice that other colleges and universities are distributing funding differently. In each distribution of funding, UC Santa Barbara’s automatic distribution process was designed after careful review of our student financial aid application information, and in order to provide emergency funding as quickly as possible, to as many eligible students as possible.

ARP Student Aid Portion & Reporting

UCSB received $33,544,300 in HEERF III funding for Student Aid. Those funds are being distributed among undergraduate and graduate students

·        Undergraduate student aid ($26,835,440) from HEERF III includes COVID ARP Grants and successful appellants.

·        Graduate student aid ($6,708,860) from HEERF III is being managed by the Graduate Division

UCSB will publish a quarterly ARP Student Aid Portion report on the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships website for the duration of the program. 

Resources
While we hope that these grants make a positive difference in the lives of students who are struggling financially due to the ongoing pandemic, we also recognize that they alone may not be enough to address students’ financial challenges. Please keep in mind that there are several ongoing services available if you are experiencing financial hardship.  
Basic Needs Peer Advising
Available in person and remotely

The Food Security and Basic Needs Advising Center (SNAC), located in the UCEN, offers in person basic needs advising, CalFresh registration assistance, immediate resources such as mask and toiletries distribution, and more. Stop in during hours of operation. Visit food.ucsb.edu to live chat with a basic needs advocate to chat about resources.
Associated Students Food Bank
 
AS Food Bank provides fresh, free, and nutritious food as well as toiletries to the Gaucho community. 
Currently open for brown bag and seed bank distribution on Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and Fridays, 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. 
Financial Crisis Response Team
 
When students are experiencing a financial crisis or emergency that may jeopardize their path to graduation, this team will review the student’s circumstances holistically to provide support and resource connections. Students may qualify for transitional housing, emergency grants, and meal plan scholarships to assist.
Please reach out to financialcrisis@sa.ucsb.edu.
Miramar Food Pantry
 
The Miramar Pantry provides free, healthy food to all qualified UCSB students to ensure Gauchos are food secure!
Serving our west campus student community, the Miramar Pantry is open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. 
We wish you all the best. 
Sincerely,
Margaret Klawunn, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Michael Miller, Ed.D.
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services
Saúl Quiroz
Director, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
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