5/1/2020 Email From GMS Associate Provost
To: GMS Faculty, Staff and Students
From: Deborah Stearns-Kurosawa, PhD, ad interim Associate Provost and GMS Associate Dean
Date: May 1, 2020
RE: CARES Federal Student Financial Assistance Deadline May 8th
On April 27th, Congress passed the CARES Act which provides money to colleges and universities to distribute to students with expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19 and the pandemic. BU will receive funding through this program to help ease the financial burden many students experienced due to the change to remote learning in the spring semester. To be eligible, a student must be eligible to file a FAFSA and expenses are limited to those associated with disruption of campus operations related to the coronavirus. The university is prohibited from considering loss of income. International students are not eligible, but are encouraged to complete the form if they are experiencing financial hardship because this will get them routed to their financial aid office for review.
Examples of eligible expenses: computer purchase, upgrade to a data/wi-fi plan, unexpected travel or living expenses, purchase of supplies needed to complete coursework online.
The University has created a centralized process through a form on this website to apply for a Stabilization Grant: https://www.bu.edu/covid-19-information/emergency-funding-request/.
The deadline to submit this form is Friday, May 8th for consideration in the first round of funding. Award amounts will range from $500 to $6,000. Additional information and questions can be found with our BUMC Student Financial Affairs (SFS) Office.
Not all expenses are eligible for this funding assistance. There may be other grant or loans funds available and students are encouraged to reach out to SFS. All students can request emergency funding by completing the emergency request form (https://www.bu.edu/covid-19-information/emergency-funding-request/ ) so their financial aid office can review their circumstances and determine if funding is available to help.
We recognize the economic stresses the current circumstances has placed on everyone, and we are doing everything possible to identify and communicate resources and support mechanisms to help relieve the burdens. Please stay safe and stay well.
With best regards,
Debbie
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