Emergency funds available for KCTCS students impacted by COVID-19

Published 12:48 pm Monday, May 25, 2020

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From KCTCS

VERSAILLES – Eligible students attending the 16 colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) will soon receive information about how to request emergency funds for education-related expenses created by COVID-19.

The funding is available through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was recently signed into law by President Donald J. Trump.

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The CARES Act provides assistance to college students, who beginning on March 13, 2020, experienced hardships caused by COVID-19 related to:

  • Housing
  • Childcare
  • Medical Care
  • Course materials/Technology
  • Extended program length (to accommodate clinicals/labs)
  • Food Insecurity (due to shutdown of college food pantries)

KCTCS, in accordance with guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), will make CARES Act funds available to students who would otherwise qualify for federal financial aid.

Eligible students will receive a communication from their home college with information on how to request funds.

Based on ED requirements, applicants must be current KCTCS students who are eligible for Title IV financial aid and have experienced hardships created by disruption of campus operations and COVID-19. They must complete a request form and upload it to their college’s Financial Aid Office as soon as possible.

Each college has an application review committee that will prioritize aid by financial need as the ED has outlined. In addition to following ED guidance, the KCTCS plan follows guidance from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA.)

Students who have questions or need help should contact their college’s Financial Aid Office. Completion of the request is not a guarantee of funding.