The Coronavirus Assistance, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act; the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) and the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Act are all stimulus legislation enacted by Congress in order to provide assistance through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each includes funding to be distributed as emergency grants to higher education students.

The American Rescue Plan Act was the last funding tranche signed into law on March 11, 2021.

No, this funding will not affect current or future financial aid eligibility.

Per the Internal Revenue Service, the HEERF student emergency grants should not be included in your taxable income. Please visit the IRS’s site here for more details.

No, you must have submitted a CRRSAA or ARPA Exceptional Need Survey to be eligible.  But submitting a survey did not guarantee a distribution.

The surveys are closed.  All funding has been distributed.  However, questions may still be submitted to CARESAct@houghton.edu.

Please submit your request to CARESAct@houghton.edu.  Any change will not be retroactive.  Only the remaining funds after having applied the credit to outstanding charges will be available for cash disbursement.

No, submitting an Exceptional Need Survey did not guarantee a distribution from CRRSAA or ARPA funding.

All HEERF funding has been distributed.  No further distributions will be made.

All survey respondents received communication regarding the results.

If you were selected to receive a CRRSAA or ARPA distribution and elected to have the distribution credited to your student account, you received an email notifying you of the amount.

If you were selected to receive a CRRSAA or ARPA distribution and elected to receive a check, you received a check through campus mail or through the United States Postal Service.

If you did not receive a distribution, you should have received an email.