The U.S. Department of Education requires colleges and universities that receive funding under the CARES Act to post a report on their website that provides the status of the seven regulatory requirements listed below.
The information below is current and reflects the full disbursement of the university’s CARES allocation for Emergency Financial Aid Grants for students.
| U.S. Department of Education Regulatory Requirement | University of the Pacific Status | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | An acknowledgement that the institution signed and returned to the Department the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. | University of the Pacific acknowledges that the institution signed and returned the Certification to the Department on April 20, 2020. The university has used, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. |
| 2 | The total amount of funds that the institution will receive or has received from the Department pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement [for] Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students. | The Department announced that University of the Pacific is eligible for $2,582,435 that was used to make individual awards to students for their emergency expenses that resulted from campus disruption that occurred after March 27, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| 3 | The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act as of the date of submission (i.e., as of the 30-day Report and every 45 days thereafter). | Eligible students were able to apply for CARES Act funds via an online application. Students were also required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The university made a total of $2,582,435 in disbursements to eligible students, which fully exhausted the CARES fund. The CARES application portal was open until funding was exhausted. |
| 4 | The estimated total number of students at the institution 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. | The university estimates that approximately 4,500 of the students who were enrolled during the spring 2020 semester submitted a valid 2019-2020 FAFSA and therefore met the minimum eligibility criteria to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. These students as well as any additional students who submitted a valid 2020-2021 FAFSA were eligible to apply for CARES funding on a rolling basis until August 2020. Eligible students who submitted a CARES application attesting to eligible emergency expenses were disbursed funding. |
| 5 | The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. | The university made 1,278 disbursements of CARES funds to 1,101 eligible students. |
| 6 | The method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. | After the priority deadline (May 31, 2020) and then on a rolling basis, applications were reviewed to confirm eligibility and to determine the amount individual students could receive. Eligibility for the CARES Act Emergency Grant for matriculated undergraduate, graduate and professional students was based on the total amount of emergency expenses submitted in each of the categories on the application, the number of applications the university received and available funding. In general, students were disbursed the amount they requested up to the maximum thresholds in each expense category based upon the Cost of Attendance (COA) as established by the university. Applications were considered until funding was exhausted. |
| 7 | Any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants. | The university provided guidance and directions to students about the application process and eligibility criteria published in the FAQ and emails that were sent to both their Pacific.edu and FAFSA email addresses. The university also published guidance on its website and social media pages. |
| 8 | Information related to the Institutional Aid portions of the CARES Act. |
University of the Pacific has expanded the full amount of the CARES Act Institutional Aid funding of $2,582,435. These funds were expended to help offset the university's costs in refunding room and board to students for the spring 2020 semester. The total amount of the room and board refunds to students was $4,738,306. |
| 9 | Information related to the Institutional Aid portions of the CARES Act. |
University of the Pacific has expended the full amount of the HEERF II and III institution portion of $11,488,232 in FY21. These funds were expended for the following:
Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for HEERF I, II, and III (a)(1) Institutional Portion Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for HEERF I, II, and III (a)(2) MSI Portion |
| 10 | Information related to the Minority Serving Institutions portion of the CARES Act. |
University of the Pacific has fully expended the HEERF MSI funding for the quarters ending Sept. 30, 2021, Dec. 31, 2021 and Mar. 31, 2022 in the amounts of $21,592, $1,587, and $4,436 respectively. These funds were expended to help cover expenses to monitor and suppress coronavirus in accordance with public health guidelines. Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for HEERF I, II, and III (a)(2) MSI Portion December 2021 Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for HEERF I, II, and III (a)(2) MSI Portion March 2022 |
