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UC boosts financial aid to more than 13,000 students thanks to COVID-19 relief funds
The university is awarding new, need-based emergency funding to students amid continuing pandemic
This week brings good news for University of Cincinnati students who receive need-based financial aid.
More than 13,000 students already receiving need-based aid will get a further boost starting today.
Approximately 6,600 of students will receive $1,000, while another approximately 6,250 will receive $750 awards. And these grants will begin showing up in student accounts today, according to Jack Miner, vice provost for enrollment management.
Jack Miner, vice provost for enrollment management
He added, “These additional resources and support are about making sure college remains affordable and accessible, especially during this pandemic, for our students and their families. We know that these funds will help students complete their degrees. The grants don’t need to be repaid and so, may really alleviate some ongoing hardship concerns and challenges families may be facing.”
In all, $11.5 million will be distributed to UC students thanks to federal stimulus funding, specifically The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II (HEERF II) authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) signed into law by former President Donald Trump in December 2020.
According to UC’s Dave Peterson, assistant vice provost for financial aid, “We are automatically making $1,000 available to all full-time UC students who currently receive federal Pell Grants. These are both undergraduate and graduate students who generally have the most financial need.
“Those with Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Expected Family Contribution (EFC) levels that also demonstrate significant financial need will receive $750 grants.”
These additional resources and support are about making sure college remains affordable and accessible, especially during this pandemic, for our students and their families.
Jack Miner Vice provost for enrollment management
Support toward study and career goals
Margaret Lee
First-year student Margaret Lee of Columbus, Ohio, is one of the 13,152 UC students who will receive aid thanks to newly released COVID-19 funds. Lee and her family fund her studies thanks to a combination of work-study, scholarships, grants and family contributions.
“I’m going to put my $1,000 aside and use it to help with tuition costs next year. That will help my parents and grandparents in the long run,” explained Lee, who is majoring in Human Development and Community Engagement in UC’s College of Criminal Justice, Education and Human Services. This new funding will help her toward her long-term goal of to work with a youth-development-based nonprofit.
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UC pulls rank
The latest 2021 issue of U.S. News' influential Best Colleges guide ranks the University of Cincinnati among the top tier of national universities, but perhaps more importantly, the university outpaces almost all national rivals on performance indicators important to students and their families – specifically UC’s national Top 5 ranking for co-ops and internships.
As the global founder of cooperative education, UC houses the world’s third-largest co-op program where each year, students earn a collective $75 million annually working for about 1,600 employers. The program allows UC students to sequentially alternate academic semesters with professional, paid work directly tied to their majors with local, national and international employers, from multinational firms to non-profits and start-ups too.
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