CRRSAA HEERF II Student Funds

Century College will disburse the majority of HEERF II CRRSAA student funds to students with exceptional need. The funds disbursed as CRRSAA Base Awards are meant to help students pay expenses related to students’ cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to COVID-19, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), child care, course materials, or technology.

Institutions cannot require students to use funds to pay tuition or past due balances; however, students may choose to apply the funds toward tuition.

The U.S. Department of Education required Century College and all higher education institutions to prioritize disbursement of funds to support students with exceptional financial need.

Century College, using federal guidance and Minnesota State eligibility criteria, has identified students with exceptional need as having an effective family contribution (EFC) below 5712. Student in this category will receive HEERF II (CRRSAA) Base award funds in Spring 2021 prorated based on enrollment.

• Pell eligible students enrolled in 1 – 5 credits will receive an award of $600
• Pell eligible students enrolled in 6 – 11 credits will receive an award of $800
• Pell eligible students enrolled in 12 or more credits will receive an award of $1,000

Exceptions for Pell eligible students included students receiving senior citizen rate tuition and students receiving tuition waivers.

Institutions must use the guidelines provided by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be eligible to receive the CRRSAA funds. Unfortunately, that means that not all students enrolled in higher education institutions across our nation can receive HEERF II (CRRSAA) Base Awards.

Using the U.S. Department of Education and Minnesota State guidelines, Century College students excluded from receiving HEERF II (CRRSAA) Base Award funds (according to current definition of student and student eligibility) are students:

• ineligible to file a FAFSA: non-U.S. citizen or not an eligible noncitizen
• being assessed senior citizen tuition rates,
• withdrawn from Spring semester courses and were not enrolled as of March 5, 2021, or
• students eligible for a Tuition Waiver.

Century College’s HEERF II CRRSAA funds that are set aside to be distributed in Summer and/or Fall 2021 will account for any additional clarification of student definition and student eligibility.

Although Century is unable to provide all students with support through these funds, qualifying students should still apply for student financial aid by filing a FAFSA. In addition, Century’s Counseling Services and the Resource and Support Center connects students to community resources for food, housing, transportation, childcare, healthcare, etc. The Century College Foundation provides emergency assistance grants and scholarships that students can apply for. Visit the Resource and Support Center for more information and to access basic needs resources. You can also schedule an appointment through Starfish with a counselor to discuss other emergency funding options or contact the Advising, Counseling, and Career Center at acc@century.edu or 651-779-3285.

All Century students, regardless of eligibility, have received communications regarding HEERF II CRRSAA funding based on all the guidelines listed above and those communicated by the federal government and Minnesota State.

In order to expedite distribution of these funds, eligible students will receive their cash funds through direct deposit provided by BankMobile, the system that Century College uses to process funds to students. Students who already have their direct deposit in place with BankMobile will receive funds within 1-5 business days after receipt of a direct communication (Century College email) from Century College. Students who currently do not have direct deposit set up with BankMobile should take immediate action to visit the BankMobile web page for more information and to set up a direct deposit preference. Students who do not set up a BankMobile direct deposit will delay receipt of their funds up to 2-3 weeks or more to allow for a paper check distribution process.

Students who receive HEERF II (CRRSAA) Base Award aid should note that the federal government has not issued guidance regarding the tax status of this disbursement. Please be advised this emergency assistance aid may be considered as income on your Federal and State 2021 tax returns. The Federal and State governments will provide that guidance at the time of filing in 2022.

Similar to CARES Special Circumstance Awards that were available with HEERF I CARES Act funds, Century College will create an application process for students to apply for a HEERF II CRRSAA Special Circumstances Award. These funds will be available to eligible Century students to cover expenses related to COVID-19. These need-based emergency grant awards will be granted to students providing documentation of special circumstances in which these additional funds can help support and ensure students’ ability to continue their education at Century.

Funds for this program have been exhausted and applications are no longer being accepted. Watch your email for information about the HEERF III/ARP grants during fall term, 2021.

Student Eligibility Criteria

• Must have current registration and be enrolled at Century College in the semester for which the student is requesting aid.
• Must be a degree-seeking student.
• Must have a 2020-21 FAFSA processed.
• Must have a need for assistance with expenses related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is limited funds available to help support students and completed applications will be processed in the order they were received until funds have been exhausted. Special Circumstance/Emergency awards will be made up to $1,000 per academic year.

Funds can be used for income loss due to changes in employment, expenses for online learning, tuition, housing, food, childcare, health care, caring for a family member impacted by COVID-19.

Funds for this program have been exhausted and applications are no longer being accepted. Watch your email for information about the HEERF III/ARP grants during fall term, 2021.

Application Process

• Complete CRRSAA Special Circumstances/Emergency Grant Award application.
• The application must be physically signed and dated OR signed, dated, and sent from the student’s Century email account who is applying for the aid. Applications that are not signed or not submitted through the Century College email account of the student who is applying for assistance will not be processed. You are welcome to take pictures of your application and email the pictures of your application; send from your Century College email.
• Complete the application. SAVE the application on your computer. **Email the SAVED document.**
• Email completed and saved application to finaid@century.edu

Award Amounts and Disbursement

• This is a first come, first served award until funds are no longer available.
• Award maximum is $1,000 per student once during the 2020-2021 academic year. For example, if a student received $500 from previous emergency assistance funds in Fall 2020, you are eligible to receive $500 for Spring 2021. If a student did not receive any emergency assistance funds in Fall 2020, you are eligible to receive $1,000 for Spring 2021.