ABAC CARES III - HEERF III Program
About the Grant
In April 2020, ABAC received $1.7 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief ad Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to provide ABAC CARES grants to eligible students currently enrolled who experienced educational disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the spring of 2021, ABAC was awarded an additional $1.7 million from the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to continue to support students who had an exceptional need due to COVID-19.
Starting in Fall semester 2021, ABAC will award an additional $5.6 million through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to help students with their cost of attendance needs. No additional action is needed by the students who qualify for this distribution. The HEERF III funds are open to all enrolled ABAC students including undergraduates, dual enrollment, non-degree, transient, international, DACA, and undocumented.
Grant Disbursement and Eligibility
How do Students Get Their Disbursement?
Students must be enrolled for spring semester as of March 2, 2022 to receive HEERF III funds this spring. No additional action is needed by the students who qualify for this distribution. Students may use the HEERF III funds for any component of their cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care, (including mental health care) and childcare both for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters.
Eligibility status for ABAC students is outlined below:
| Pell Eligibility | Full-Time | Part-Time |
| Pell Eligible | $ 720 | $ 600 |
| Non-Pell Eligible | $ 620 | $500 |
Full-time is defined as 12 hours or greater and to be considered pell-eligible, students must display exceptional financial need once the 21-22 FAFSA has been completed. Students will receive an email in early March that will notify them of the amount and that the funds will be in their eStallion accounts by Wednesday, March 9, 2022.
When Do Students Get Their Disbursement?
The timing of your refund will be determined by whether your direct deposit is setup within eStallion. Funds for Spring 2022 will be available in the students eStallion direct deposit account on March 9, 2022.
For example, a full time (12 credit hours or more) student that is enrolled on March 2, 2022 and is Pell eligible based on their completed FASFA will receive $620 on March 9,2022 if their eStallion direct deposit has been setup.
Failure to set-up a di rect deposit account in eStallion prior to March 9, 2022, may cause a minimum 14-day delay in receiving these funds.
The student disbursements for Spring 2022 will be announced in February of 2022.
Want to apply these funds to your student account?
Students may use received funds to help satisfy any tuition, fees and room and board costs. To apply these funds to your student account balance, simply choose the “Opt-In” option on the Student Account Approval Form by March 2nd.
Thunder CARES
Beginning in Fall 2021, ABAC will be providing limited funding to assist students who have experienced financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic through the Thunder CARES grant. This funding is made available by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) to help students with their cost of attendance needs. The Thunder CARES grant will be awarded based on circumstance, demonstrated need and fund availability. As Thunder CARES funding remains available, the grant will be available for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022.
Grant Disbursement and Eligibility
Due to limited funding for the Thunder CARES grant, awards will be made in the order of the date of the application.
Eligibility - to be eligible, students must:
- Fully complete the Thunder CARES application
- Be enrolled in Spring 2022 at the time of the completion of the Thunder CARES application
How Do Students Get Their Disbursement?
Students may be awarded up to $900 in additional financial assistance through the Thunder CARES grant. This grant is separate from the ABAC Cares III funding and does not limit a student’s eligibility to apply for the Thunder CARES grant.
Students selected to receive Thunder CARES will be allocated as follows:
| Student Status | Maximum Allocation Eligible |
| All Residential Students | $900 |
| Full Time Non-Resident Students (12 or more credit hours) |
$600 |
| Part Time Non-Resident Students (11-5 credit hours) |
$401 |
| Part Time Non-Resident Students (4-1 credit hours) |
$301 |
The Thunder CARES applications will be reviewed weekly by a panel of reviewers. Additional documentation may be requested through email to your Stallion email account and must be provided if requested to receive the Thunder CARES grant.
Students will receive an email to their Stallion account notifying them of the determination of their Thunder CARES application. Email notification will be sent out each Tuesday of Spring 2022 beginning on January 25, 2022.
When Do Students Get Their Disbursement?
The timing of your refund will be determined by whether your direct deposit is setup within eStallion. Failure to set-up a direct deposit account in eStallion, may cause a minimum 14-day delay in receiving these funds.
The actual date of your disbursement will be communicated in the email communication that will be distributed each Tuesday of Spring 2022 beginning on January 25, 2022.
Students may use received Thunder CARES grant funds to help satisfy any tuition, fees and room and board costs. To apply these funds to your student account balance, simply choose the “Opt-In” option on the Student Account Approval Form.
ABAC CARES II - HEERF II Program
On December 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) was signed. This new law gives the U.S. Department of Education approximately $22.7 billion to distribute to institutions of higher education in order to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus through the HEERF. As part of the CRRSAA, ABAC has been awarded $1,744,704 to support our students directly. The student portion of the CRRSAA funds may be used for any component of a student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to Coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, healthcare (including mental healthcare), or child care.
How do students get their disbursement?
Grant Disbursement
Funds will be posted to pre-qualified students’ Bank Mobile accounts by Monday, April 19, 2021. Award eligibility is based on the criteria listed below. No additional action is needed by the students who qualify for this distribution.
The amount of automatic disbursements will range from $400 to $850 per student and will vary based upon need, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education and the number of credit hours enrolled. Students will receive an email in mid-April notifying them of the amount and that the funds will be in their Bank Mobile accounts by Monday, April 19.
Those Eligible
To be eligible to receive a disbursement of federal aid through the HEERF II (ABAC CARES II) program, an ABAC student must:
- Be enrolled for Spring 2021 as of April 1, 2021; and
- Have completed a FAFSA for 2020-2021 by March 31, 2021
Those Not Eligible
According to federal and ABAC CARES II guidelines, the following students are NOT eligible for ABAC CARES II funds:
- Dual Enrolled;
- TAP;
- Not Lawfully Present;
- Not Title IV Eligible (determined by the submission of the FAFSA);
- Withdrawn from Spring 2021 classes on or before March 31, 2021; and
- Undocumented and international students
How do students get their disbursement?
- The timing of your refund will be determined by having a refund preference set up.
- Check your refund status NOW through BankMobiles to ensure the fastest possible deposit of funds.
- Failure to set-up a refund preference prior to April 15, 2021, may cause a minimum 14-day delay in receiving these funds.
- For assistance, contact the ABAC Office of Student Accounts by email at studentaccounts@abac.edu or by phone at 229.391.4924.
ABAC CARES I - HEERF I Program
ABAC received $1,744,704 in funding from Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding (HEERF I), also known as the CARES Act, to assist students who were affected financially due to hardship related to Coronavirus. All funding has been disbursed to ABAC Students to assist them with any expenses related to Coronavirus based on guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and the University System of Georgia.
Grant Disbursement and Eligibility
To be eligible to receive a disbursement of federal aid through the HEERF I (ABAC CARES I) program, an ABAC student must:
- be enrolled for Spring 2020 as of March 13, 2020; and
- have completed a FAFSA for 2019-2020 by May 31, 2020
According to federal and ABAC CARES I guidelines, the following students are NOT eligible for ABAC CARES I funds:
- Dual Enrolled;
- Enrolled only in online classes for Spring 2020;
- Not Lawfully Present;
- TAP;
- Not Title IV Eligible (determined by the submission of the FAFSA);
- Withdrawn from Spring 2020 classes on or before March 12, 2020; and
- Undocumented and international students
Group 1
The first allocation of ABAC CARES I funds was to spring 2020 enrolled students that were pre-qualified based on the eligibility criteria listed above. On Thursday, May 14, 2020, ABAC awarded 2,482 students that met the above criteria. Awards in Group 1 ranged from $580 to $750 and were automatically disbursed to the student’s BankMobile account. The disbursement in total was $1,669,700.06.
Group 2
There were 19 additional students that were pre-qualified based on the eligibility criteria listed above that received ABAC CARES I funds on May 15, 2020. Awards in Group 2 ranged from $580 to $750 and were automatically disbursed to the student’s BankMobile account. The disbursement in total was $14,204.97.
Group 3
There were 7 additional students that were pre-qualified based on the eligibility criteria listed above that received ABAC CARES I funds on May 20, 2020. Awards in Group 3 ranged from $580 to $750 and were automatically disbursed to the student’s BankMobile account. The disbursement in total was $5,233.41.
Group 4
There were 21 additional students that were pre-qualified based on the eligibility criteria listed above that received ABAC CARES I funds on June 15, 2020. These awards in Group 4 ranged from $580 to $750 and were automatically disbursed to the student’s BankMobile account. ABAC also re-evaluated the student’s criteria from above to select 267 students from Group 1-3 based on the student’s EFC. These additional 267 students were awarded funds ranging from $130 to $134 which was automatically disbursed to the student’s BankMobile account. The disbursement in total was $55,565.56.
ABAC Cares Reporting Requirements and Communications
The well-being and health of our students, staff, and faculty are our top priority. To support our students’ financial well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, ABAC is providing emergency financial aid grants to eligible students from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. To comply with reporting requirements from the U.S. Department of Education and to offer transparency to our community, we are providing details about our use of these funds.
Acknowledgement
On May 13, 2021, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College signed and returned the Certification and Agreement for CARES act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. The institution ensures that we have used 50 percent or more of the funds awarded to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
Total Amount of Funds Received
HEERF I
ABAC was awarded a total of $1,744,704 from the U.S. Department of Education to be awarded for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. ABAC was awarded $1,744,703 in institutional aid and $170,952 with the strengthening institution’s program.
HEERF II
ABAC was awarded a total of $1,744,704 from the U.S. Department of Education to be awarded for Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students. ABAC was awarded $4,408,639 in institutional aid and $257,707 with the strengthening institution’s program.
Total Amount of Grants Disbursed to Students
HEERF I
ABAC has awarded $1,689,138.44 as of May 20, 2020, to students that were eligible to participate in the programs under Section 484 in the Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
ABAC has awarded $1,744,704 as of June 23, 2020, to students that were eligible to participate in the programs under Section 484 in the Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Total Estimated Number of Eligible Students
HEERF I
ABAC has estimated that a total of 2,843 students are eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in the Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES act.
Total Number of Recipients
HEERF I
The total number of students at ABAC who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES as of May 20, 2020 is 2,508.
The total number of students at ABAC who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES as of June 23, 2020 is 2,529.
Methodology
HEERF I
To be eligible to receive a disbursement of federal aid through the HEERF I (ABAC CARES I) program, an ABAC student must:
- be enrolled for Spring 2020 as of March 13, 2020; and
- have completed a FAFSA for 2019-2020 by May 31, 2020
According to federal and ABAC CARES I guidelines, the following students are NOT eligible for ABAC CARES I funds:
- Dual Enrolled;
- Enrolled only in online classes for Spring 2020;
- Not Lawfully Present;
- TAP;
- Not Title IV Eligible (determined by the submission of the FAFSA);
- Withdrawn from Spring 2020 classes on or before March 12, 2020; and
- Undocumented and international students
HEERF II
To be eligible to receive a disbursement of federal aid through the HEERF II (ABAC CARES II) program, an ABAC student must:
- be enrolled for Spring 2021 as of April 1, 2021; and
- have completed a FAFSA for 2020-2021 by March 31, 2021
According to federal and ABAC CARES II guidelines, the following students are NOT eligible for ABAC CARES II funds:
- Dual Enrolled;
- TAP;
- Not Lawfully Present;
- Not Title IV Eligible (determined by the submission of the FAFSA);
- Withdrawn from Spring 2021 classes on or before March 31, 2021; and
- Undocumented and international students
Instructions Provided to Students
ABAC students were provided instructions to monitor their Stallion email account for further information or instructions concerning the CARES act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
Reports
- March 2024 HEERF Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- December 2023 CARES Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- September 2023 CARES Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- CARES Funding 30 Day Report
- HEERF I II and III Quarterly Report
- June 2023 CARES Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- March 2023 Revised CARES
- March 2023 CARES Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- December 2022 - HEERF Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- September 22 - HEERF Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- June 22 - HEERF Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- March 2022 - CARES Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- December 2021 - CARES Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- September 2021 CARES Quarterly Report and Expenditure Report
- June 2021 - CARES Quarterly Report and Expenditure Report
- December 2020 – CARES Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report
- September 2020 - CARES Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Report