The majority of funds will be dispersed as direct emergency aid payments, while a small percentage is set aside for use as emergency grants (The emergency grant application process will be available on the Financial Aid site or before May 1).
To be eligible for the automatic payment and any emergency grant relief under the CARES Act, students must meet the following criteria:
- been enrolled in classes as of March 27, 2020;
- filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2019/2020 financial aid year;
- been determined to be Title IV eligible; and
- completed all Office of Financial Aid verification requirements.
For those students who have not filed a 2019-2020 FAFSA, we strongly encourage you to do so by June 30, 2020 at studentaid.gov/fafsa, so that you are eligible for the CARES funding. Upon completing the FAFSA, please add be sure to use the CCSU school code (001378) so that it will be routed to us for processing.
Most of the funding will be issued via automatic payments to eligible students, with full-time Pell eligible students receiving $629 and full-time and non-Pell eligible students receiving $448. Part-time eligible students will receive a pro-rated value, with the amount based on the number of credits they were enrolled in as of March 27, 2020.
The grant funding will be issued by direct deposit to the bank account on file. For students without direct deposit, a check will be mailed to the home address indicated in Banner. To avoid delay, students are encouraged to sign up for direct deposit (instructions available on the Bursar's website).
Please check the Financial Aid website periodically for the latest updates on the CARES funding.
To be considered you must:
- have been enrolled in minimum of 3 credits of on-ground courses as of March 27, 2020
- have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov/fafsa for the 2019-2020 financial aid year on or before, June 30, 2020.
- have been determined to be Title IV eligible (see below)
- have completed all Office of Financial Aid verification requirements
- be a matriculated student
- be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
- be registered for Selective Service (if male)
- not be in default on federal loans
- be a US citizen / permanent resident
- have not received a waiver of your tuition / course fees related to:
- CSCU Employee / employee's dependent
- high school students with charges completely waived
- Hartford Consortium
- Over 62 Exemption
- Reciprocity Agreement
To be a Title IV-eligible student under Section 484 of the Higher Education Act, a student must:
- be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a degree, certificate or other recognized educational credential (including a program of study abroad approved for credit by the eligible institution at which such student is enrolled)--that is, a regular student under 34 CFR 600.2;
- be maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) if the student is a currently enrolled student;
- not be in default on a Title IV loan;
- be a U.S citizen or national, a permanent resident, or an eligible noncitizen;
- have his Selective Service registration verified (the Title IV aid ineligibility for failure to register is in the Selective Service Act §3811(f));
- have a valid SSN, except for residents of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau; and
- not have a federal or state conviction for drug possession or sale, with certain time limitations.
You have until June 30, 2020 to submit a 2019-2020 FAFSA at studentaid.gov/fafsa. In addition to submitting a FAFSA, you will need to complete any applicable verification requirements from the Office of Financial Aid. Once you have met the eligibility requirements noted in Question 7 above, the automatic grant aid payment will be issued to you.
Pursuant to Department of Education guidance, the grant excludes students who were exclusively enrolled in distance education courses as of March 13, 2020 because the emergency financial aid grants to students are for expenses related to the disruption of campus due to the Coronavirus. Students, who were enrolled exclusively in online programs would not have expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the Coronavirus.
