Virginia Western Community College announces that it will immediately distribute $1.38 million in emergency financial aid grants for eligible students with funding provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. These funds will support students directly and assist with the college’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related financial crisis.
“We are very grateful to be able to distribute these funds to help our students face this challenging time,” said Dr. Robert H. Sandel, President of Virginia Western. “So many of our students work and support families, and we know that they are being hit with significant financial burdens. We are eager to do anything we can to help them stay enrolled and on their academic path.”
On April 9, the U.S. Department of Education announced that more than $6 billion would be distributed to colleges and universities to assist students whose lives and educations have been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. The individual school allocations were established by a formula prescribe in the CARES Act that was weighted by the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment of Pell-eligible recipients as well as took into account the total population of the school and the number of students who were not enrolled exclusively online before the coronavirus outbreak.
Virginia Western will perform a one-time disbursement to each student who qualifies for funds based on factors determined by the guidance from the federal government and Virginia’s Community Colleges. Students do not need to apply for the funds, the disbursement will automatically be sent to the record on file if applicable.
In addition to the funding earmarked for direct student support, another $1.38 million will be distributed to Virginia Western through the CARES Act to support institutional emergency relief needs. The college continues to plan for the upcoming fiscal year with significant changes to operations due to the pandemic.
Students with questions should call 1-855-874-6690 or visit: https://mysupport.virginiawestern.edu/sims/helpcenter/common/layout/SelfHelpHome.seam?inst_name=vccs-virginiawestern.
