CARES Act: Emergency Funds

CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)

Fund Information

Riverside County Office of Education/School of Career Education has been awarded $500,000 in funding via the CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to be able to mitigate additional expenses relates to COVID‐19.

The United States Department of Education has mandated the funds are to be used for institutional cost and to assist students impacted by the pandemic. The college has signed and returned Certification and Agreement to assure that at least half of the funds will be distributed to enrolled students.

The chart below will provide information related to HEERF funding.

Note: This information is updated periodically, please see the date of the most recent update below.

CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Status

Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Education.

HEERF Funds Awarded to the Institution

Student Portion:
$539,388
Institution Portion:
$974,157
Total Award:
$1,513,545
Total Amount of Funds Distributed to Student (as of most recent update)
$494,529
Estimated Number of Student Eligible for HEERF Funds
Approximately 507 students
Total Number of Students Awarded Funds (as of most recent update)
391
Method used to determine how students are awarded
Application & Title IV Eligible
Information Provided to Eligible Students
All students who may be eligible have been notified via e-mail and through enrollment process. The correspondence includes the link to the college HEERF Application.

If you have questions, please contact:

Nadine Flowers, Sr. Student Accounts Technician
2100 E. Alessandro Blvd.
Riverside, CA 92508

nflowers@rcoe.us

Last Updated: 07/07/2023

CARES/HEERF FAQ

What is CARES/HEERF and where did the funding for emergency grants come from?

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress and signed into law on March 27, 2020. One aspect of the act was the creation of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). HEERF provides funds to institutions for emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who is eligible for HEERF Emergency Grants?

There are general eligibility criteria for these funds:

  1. Students must be eligible to receive federal financial aid; for School of Career Education you must have completed a 2019-20 or 2020-21 FAFSA to receive fund.
  2. Students cannot have been enrolled in a completely online program as of March 13, 2020.
  3. Students must complete a School of Career Education CARE application to be considered for HEERF Funds.

I have not applied for FAFSA, is it too late?

If completing the FAFSA now we suggest that you complete the 2024-25 FAFSA, it may help you become eligible for other types of financial aid the upcoming academic year

Can I receive the emergency grant even if I owe the university money?

Yes. If you are eligible for these emergency grants, you will receive the money even if you have current financial holds or owe the campus fees or fines. If you choose to use funds to pay the institution that is a personal decision. We cannot and will not apply funds to your balance. This would have to be a decision and transaction totally separate from receiving these funds.

Can I receive emergency grant money if I was not making satisfactory academic progress?

No. If a student is presently enrolled at School of Career Education but lost eligibility due to not making satisfactory academic progress, he or she would not be eligible for emergency grant funding.

Who is eligible

Most students who were eligible to file for federal financial aid automatically received emergency aid payments. If you were not eligible to file for federal financial aid.

Contact IRS for the latest tax information regarding CARES Act