USU creates new college supplies grant

By Carter Ottley NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Utah State University will distribute financial relief grants for first-year students and transfer students who are admitted for the summer 2023 or fall 2023 semester. The grants are available to students at any USU campus or center across the state. The one-time grant, which offers up to $200, is for students who have experienced financial hardship due to the pandemic. Continuing students do not qualify for the grant since it is targeted to support first-year students.

The funds come from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, which allows institutions of higher education in the United States to better support students financially during the pandemic and through the lasting impacts of the pandemic.

Katie Jo North, the executive director of new student enrollment, explained why the grant is targeting firstyear students.

“Many current and continuing students have most likely received a HEERF grant previously,” North said. “This new college supplies grant is focused on helping new students who haven’t been able to receive HEERF funding previously.”

Because funding comes from HEERF and there are specific federal timelines, students cannot defer the grant to a later semester.

The university has already provided multiple emergency assistance grants to students in an effort to help them overcome additional financial hardship from the pandemic.

The university has also received funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act; and the American Rescue Plan Act.

Anna Hansen is from Oregon and will be a first-year student at USU in the fall. She was unaware of the grant.

“I’m feeling incredibly stressed about how I am going to pay for college and all of the living expenses,” Hansen said. “Money from the university is helpful because then I can focus more on studying during the school year rather than working.”

North hopes the grant can help students pay for tuition, books, supplies, meals or any other expenses.

“College expenses can add up, so every little bit helps,” North said. “We do not ask for receipt of how the funds are used, we just ask students to use the funds towards educational needs.”

The grant will be distributed to students through the university’s direct deposit system. Once the money is deposited in the student’s USU account, it can then be transferred or refunded directly into the student’s personal checking or savings account.

North said the funds will be able to help a lot of students.

“We estimate we will be able to help out 4,000 new, domestic undergraduate students with these funds across all of our campuses,” North said.

North said students need to pay the enrollment deposit, complete the orientation modules and register for classes by April 26 if they want to receive the grant.

Notifications of awards will then be sent out during the last two weeks of April, and the students will need to accept the grant by May 3.

Additional information can be found on the student relief funds page at usu.edu/covid-19/cares or by contacting the financial aid office at financialaid@usu.edu.

Carter Ottley is a junior studying journalism and political science. When Carter isn’t writing for the Statesman, he enjoys Chili’s, reading and Imagine Dragons.

— Carter.Ottley@usu.edu