CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

The CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant provides emergency financial aid assistance to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus as stipulated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law March 27, 2020. The CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant is distributed to eligible students based on need as determined by the 2020-2021 and/or 2021-2022 FAFSA/Dream Act application. The award amount is various based on each student’s enrollment status. Funding is limited and is subject to the rules and eligibility requirements found in Section 18004 of the CARES Act.

Students can use the CARES grant to pay for any expenses, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, healthcare, transportation, childcare, et cetera.

Students do not need to apply for the CARES Act, the college will automatically award to all eligible students who meet the emergency grants eligibility. Emergency grants will be automatically disbursed to students through the Financial Aid Office. No application is needed. For any questions regarding the CARES Act, please contact the financial aid office at 510-981-2941 or bcc-finaid@peralta.edu.

Students can view the award from their Passport Student Center in “View Financial Aid” under the Finances tab. It will be disbursed via the District’s financial aid partner, BankMobile. Student can visit their BankMobile account to view the disbursement. For BankMobile Vibe account questions, contact 1-877-327-9515.

CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds Disclosure:

  1. Berkeley City College acknowledges that the institution signed and returned to the Department of Education 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.
  2. The total amount of funds the institution has received or will receive from the Department of Education pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students is $922,262.00.
  3. The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act as of July 30, 2020 is $787,600.00.
  4. The estimated total number of students at Berkeley City College 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 is 5143.
  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 is 1964 as of July 30, 2020.
  6. The methods used by Berkeley City College to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act are as follows:
    1. District Office Institutional Research provided a list of all potentially eligible students to the campus.
    2. The college financial aid office awarded and disbursed aid to students based on the eligibility list that was provided by the district.
    3. Awards are between $100 and $500, based on a student’s financial need and the number of units they were enrolled in each term.

    CARES & ARP Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report:

    Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF I and II) – Student Aid Portion Report Berkeley City College Quarterly Budget and Expenditures Report for ? – December 31, 2021 Berkeley City College (March31, 2022) Public Disclosure

    The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), March 27, 2020, directs institutions receiving CARES Act funding to submit a report to the Secretary of Education describing the use of funds distributed from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (“HEERF”). These funds, which are grants, not loans, are available to help eligible students who are facing an unexpected financial emergency and need help with one or more of the following items in order to stay enrolled in college: housing, food, basic technology to assist with online learning, and other essentials due to circumstances relating to the pandemic. The CARES Act requires institutions to use no less than 50 percent of the HEERF allocation received from the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student’s cost of attendance such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care).

    1. Berkeley City College acknowledges that the institution signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement to assures that it intends to use no less than 50% of the total funds allocated to the college under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students. Per Section 314(d)(5) of the CRRSAA Berkeley City College intends to provide at least the same amount of funding in financial aid grants to students as was required to be provided under sections 18004(a)(1) and (c) of division B of the CARES Act. 2. The total amount of HEERF (I, II, and II) funds allocated to school from the Department of Education.

    • HEERF II: $922,262

    • HEERF III: $4,066,369

    • Total funds allocated: $5,910,893 3.