Eligible Ball State students to receive COVID-19 financial assistance

Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns sent out an email to students eligible for federal COVID-19 financial assistance around 1 p.m. April 8.

The university received a total of $22.5 million from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) signed in December 2020. A minimum of $7.6 million is required to be used in direct aid to students.

Unlike federal aid from the The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Ball State students will not have to prove their finanancial need to receive CRRSAA funds.

Kathy Wolf, Ball State vice president for marketing and communications, said financial aid applications were analyzed to determine how many students were eligible. She said the university's goal is to reach as many students as possible with the available funds.

Grants range from $500 to $1,000, Wolf said, just like CARES Act funds. Mearns said in the email more than 9,000 students are receiving CRRSAA funds, including fully-online students, who were previous ineligible for CARES Act grants under federal guidelines.

Mearns said money will be disbursed to eligible students' bursar accounts and direct deposited within three to five days after funds appear on their statements.