Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students Disclosure

Effective September 30, 2020

Congress and the President have made these funds available for eligible students who incurred expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus pandemic and the corresponding transition of ground campus coursework to distance education. Meridian College has worked diligently to distribute the funding to impacted, eligible students in a timely manner and in accordance to the CARES Act and subsequent implementation guidance.

Meridian College makes the following information available for transparency purposes and in accordance to guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education’s Electronic Announcement of May 6th, 2020.

Meridian College signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Certification and Agreement for the Student Grant portion of Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act on 6/15/2020. That Certification and Agreement confirmed Meridian College’s intent to use no less than 50 percent of the funds the university receives under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.¹

On 6/16/2020 Meridian College received funds the U.S. Department of Education made  available for Meridian College to draw down in the amount of $244,279 (50% of the funds the allocated to the school under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act). ²

Through a survey made available to students as compared to students enrolled at the institution, it was determined that 147 students at the institution were eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.⁴

As of the date of the original public notice on 7/16/2020 (30 days after 6/16/2020, when the college received the Student Grant portion of Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act), Meridian College has distributed 147 CARES Act Emergency Financial Aid Grants⁵ in the amount of $244,279.00 to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.³

Meridian College used the following methods to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act:

Eligible students are students who have experienced a financial emergency related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus, and that meet eligibility criteria outlined by the U.S. Department of Education.  Students were asked to indicate this need through the completion of an online survey where they were asked to attest to either in increase in expenses or a reduction in household income due to COVID-19.⁶

Meridian provided the following information to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants.⁷

• On April 27, 2020, notification was sent to all students to inform them of the CARES Act HEERF Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
• On May 4, 2020, information pertaining to the CARES Act Grant was sent to students including a link to the survey Meridian used to determine which students had need because of being impacted by the spread of COVID-19.
• On May 14, 2020, students were sent an update on Meridian’s application status and a reminder to complete the student survey the institution used to determine eligibility.
• On May 14, 2020, the campus was provided a list of students for use in identifying students who had not yet completed the survey and were instructed to reach out to students who had not yet completed the survey to ensure they understood the requirement. Students were called, text messaged, and emailed.
• On May 27, 2020, the campus was provided a list of students for use in identifying students who had not yet completed the survey and were instructed to reach out to students who had not yet completed the survey to ensure they understood the requirement. Students were called, text messaged, and emailed.
• On May 28, 2020, students were sent an update on Meridian’s application status and a reminder to complete the student survey the institution used to determine eligibility. This notice was to inform students that we would be distributing funds in a matter of days to those who had applied.
• On May 29, 2020, the campus was provided the final list of students for use in identifying students who had not yet completed the survey and were instructed to reach out to students who had not yet completed the survey to ensure they understood the requirement. A final attempt was made to ensure all students were aware of the Grant application process.