Spring 2022
2021 Funds: CRRSAA (formerly referenced as HEERF II) Grant
Students that receive this notification link have been awarded a 2021 Funds: CRRSAA (formerly referenced as HEERF II) Grant.
Under the Act the following criteria were set:
Eligibility for CRRSAA Student awards: a) The Federal government has excluded DACA students from direct student awards under CRRSAA. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the college to determine citizenship status as normal college practices dictate.
b) The requirement that students be Title IV eligible to receive student awards has been removed; this includes non-degree seeking and non-credit students. It is the college’s option to include these students in their CRRSAA Student award calculations. However, if these students are included, then the selection criteria must be inclusive for all non- degree seeking and non-credit students.
Student Eligibility: What type of criteria (if any outside non-citizens) should we use to exclude students from receiving CARES student funds? a) Priority should be given to students who have financial need; the college must document how the student’s needs are prioritized.
Unlike HEERF I, enrolled students do not have to be Title IV-eligible students to receive CRRSAA funds. That is, the June 17, 2020 Interim Final Rule and Title IV general student eligibility criteria under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) [20 USC 1091(a)] do not apply when awarding CRRSAA funds.
c) However, the U.S. Department of Education's (ED's) current interpretation is that undocumented, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and international students are not eligible for CRRSAA funds under 8 USC 1611(a) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (1996 welfare reform law), which prohibits these students from receiving federal public benefits. As a condition of the Certification and Agreement for student CRRSAA grants, the school “must comply with the provisions of all applicable acts, regulations, and assurances….” This includes the welfare reform law.
d) If and how a school determines the citizenship of a student when awarding CRRSAA student grant funds is at the discretion of the school. Potential institutional considerations may range from: 1) the school feels that it needs to confirm the citizenship of each recipient by requiring them to complete the FAFSA and go through the SSA and DHS citizenship matches; to 2) the school assumes that students are citizens unless the school knows differently; to 3) the school asks students to self-certify their citizenship status.
Bishop State Community College included students that, in additional to the criteria set about were dual enrolled high school students.
Bishop State Awards were granted on June 4, 2022 as the following awards:
At disbursement time:
Student Type | Total | # Awards | Amt Per Student | Remarks |
Non- Credit | $128,000.00 | 128 | 1,000.00 | Awarded $1000 |
Non-FASFA | $1,039,500.00 | 945 | 1,100.00 | Awarded $1100 |
FASFA | $2,310,495.00 | 1273 | 1,815.00 | EFC<$5000 Awarded $1815 |
$240,500.00 | 185 | 1,300.00 | EFC>$5000-$19,999 Awarded $1300 | |
$74,750.00 | 65 | 1,150.00 | EFC>$20,000 Awarded $1150 | |
$3,793,245.00 |
Fall 2021 - Bishop CARES Emergency Relief Grant
If you are currently enrolled for the fall 2021 semester, you may be eligible for the Bishop CARES Emergency Relief Grant. The grant is currently covering up to 9 credit hours of enrollment. You need to submit the 2021/2022 FAFSA and contact the Financial Aid Office. You will have to complete and submit a consent form.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Bishop State Community College continues to monitor the evolving challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our priority is not only to ensure the health and well-being of our community, but also that our students are able to complete their courses and advance their progress toward graduation, all while preparing contingencies to ensure the continued functioning of our operations. In an effort for Bishop State to do its part, the administration has approved changes to our delivery and operations.
Stay up-to-date on college operations by checking Bishop State’s official social media accounts, www.bishop.edu, or by checking your College email account. All updates and resources will continue to be communicated via these referenced outlets.
CARES ACT - HEERF I
Are you a Bishop State student whose life was disrupted by Coronavirus/COVID-19? Are you facing financial challenges and struggling to make ends meet? You may be eligible for emergency assistance!
Congress recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which has delivered emergency assistance to Bishop State Community College in the form of funds to be used to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus.
A section of the CARES Act includes Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF), which provide emergency financial assistance to eligible students that may assist with expenses such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and childcare. These funds, however, are not intended to replace income or pay for student expenses that are not related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Bishop State Community College signed and returned the Agreement to the U.S. Department of Education and has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide emergency financial aid grants to students.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Not all Bishop State students are eligible for the HEERF grant provided through the CARES Act under federal law.
The U.S. Department of Education has stated that recipients must be Title IV-eligible which includes the following:
- Must have a high school diploma or other recognized equivalent
- Must be a citizen of the United States or an eligible non-citizen
- Must have a valid social security number
- Must not be in default on a student loan
- Must have registered with Selective Service (males)
- Must be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Must have submitted the Identity Statement of Educational Purpose if selected for V4/V5 Verification
- In addition, the student must not have been 100 percent online prior to March 13, 2020.
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
All students, who met the eligibility requirements listed above and were enrolled at Bishop State Community College on March 16, 2020, have been assigned to one of two groups:
- Group 1 – Those who had filed a 2019-2020 FAFSA prior to May 12, 2020 – 1528 students
- Group 2 – Those who had filed a 2019-2020 FAFSA between May 12, 2020 and June 7, 2020 and/or cleared up one of the above requirements – 79 students
- Group 3 – Those who file a 2019-2020 FAFSA between June 7, 2020 and the federal deadline of June 30, 2020 and/or clear up one of the above requirements.
HOW TO APPLY
GROUP 1
Students who met the Title IV eligibility criteria provided by the U.S. Department of Education, were enrolled on March 13, 2020 in at least one on-campus class and had already filed the FAFSA for 2019-20 were assigned to Group 1 and were considered as having applied for the CARES Act Emergency Grant. No further action was necessary.
GROUP 2
Students who met the Title IV eligibility criteria provided by the U.S. Department of Education were enrolled on March 13, 2020 in at least one on-campus class, had not already filed the FAFSA for 2019-20 and filed the 2019-20 FAFSA between May 12, 2020 and June 7, 2020 were assigned to Group 2. No further action was necessary.
GROUP 3
Students who met the Title IV eligibility criteria provided by the U.S. Department of Education were enrolled on March 13, 2020 in at least one on-campus class, had not already filed the FAFSA for 2019-20 and filed the 2019-20 FAFSA between June 7, 2020 and June 30, 2020 will be assigned to Group 3. No further action was necessary. Should there be no students in this group, the remaining funds will be disbursed according to the greatest need of the students from Group 1 and Group 2.
The federal deadline to complete the FAFSA is June 30, 2020. If you do not complete the FAFSA by the deadline stated, you will not be eligible for consideration for these funds.
Completing the FAFSA did not guarantee receipt of funds. Eligibility would still had to be determined based upon the data gathered within the FAFSA and the availability of remaining funds.
ALLOCATION OF FUNDS
Refunds were sent to students on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 for Group 1 and on Thursday, June 11, 2020, for Group 2. Refunds for Group 3 will go out after July 10, 2020 due to changing student systems.
All students were notified of the award and disbursement via student email on May 15, 2020 and June 9, 2020.
Students have either elected to receive an electronic funds transfer to an existing bank account or a check was mailed to the address the student listed with the College at the time of enrollment, and the delivery of funds was made as timely as possible to include USPS delivery timeframes.
For questions regarding your refund process, students must contact the Bishop State Business Office at businessoffice@bishop.edu.
Calculation of Funds for Awarding/Disbursing
IMPORTANT CAMPUS SAFETY UPDATE
For the safety and protection of our community, staff and students and to slow the spread of the corona virus, visitors should continue to wear masks when on campus.
If you are a current or prospective student, please email your questions to financialaid@bishop.edu or va@bishop.edu. If you have questions about completing the FAFSA, your student aid, your veteran benefits, completing verification, or other topics, please reach out to us.
Financial Aid documents may be scanned and emailed to financialaid@bishop.edu; faxed to 251-690-6918, or mailed to the Office of Financial Aid and Veteran Affairs, Bishop State Community College, 251 North Broad Street, Mobile, AL 36603-5898. Please make sure the student’s ID number is written on all scanned, faxed, or mailed documents.