The University has been allocated $36.7 million, the 16th most of any college in the nation, by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to maintain accessibility to higher education.
In the allocation, $18.3 million will go to emergency financial assistance directly to students through the Cougar Emergency Fund. The University of Houston System received a total of $53.8 million through the CARES Act.
The Cougar Emergency Fund is a program providing short-term financial relief to students who are experiencing extraordinary financial need due to emergency and would be forced to drop out without monetary assistance.
Expenses that can be covered by the Cougar Emergency Fund include costs related to loss of wages, medical expenses, food, housing, utilities, technology, tuition assistance and course materials. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible but must be in good standing with the University. Priority is granted to full-time students.
Money from the CARES Act should also be used by universities to expand remote learning and IT capacity, according to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
“This pandemic has made clear every single education institution should make important investments to ensure learning continues when unexpected circumstances arise,” DeVos said in a news release.
The amount of relief the University received in the CARES act was calculated considering the number of full-time students who are pell-eligible, the total school population and the number of students who weren’t online full-time before the coronavirus pandemic.
The University is allowed to spend half of the funds allocated to them for costs associated with shifting learning to virtual and remote platforms.
