Two EdTrust briefs paint a clearer picture of how federal emergency relief funding impacted college students and provide recommendations for improving future aid funding
The affordability gap between college costs and available financial resources was a barrier to college access before the coronavirus pandemic, but the pandemic deepened basic-needs insecurity and highlighted unmet need — the shortfall between students’ total costs and the funds available to them through grants or family support.
The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), established by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education through the CARES Act, provided a crucial financial lifeline to students during the pandemic, helping ease financial stress and allowing them to focus on their education. Over three years, this program provided nearly $76 billion to colleges and universities, with over $30 billion going directly to students, representing a historic investment in higher education during a time of crisis.
Students who received HEERF aid were more likely to stay enrolled, prioritize academics over work, and afford essentials like housing, food, and technology. Yet, while many students benefited from emergency aid, the application process was not always easy and distribution varied — with HBCUs and institutions with specialized certificate programs allocating more aid, and Native American and Alaska Native students, on average, receiving less.
Now, with the Trump administration halting further pandemic relief disbursements, students and institutions face new challenges. Without sustained emergency aid funding, many students — especially those from low-income backgrounds — could fall through the cracks and stop out before completion.
Amid this uncertainty, two EdTrust reports aim to paint a clearer picture of the impact of HEERF aid, providing insights into its effectiveness, students’ ongoing need, and recommendations for improving future emergency aid funding. “Tracking the Reach of Emergency Relief Funds During the Pandemic” explores the relationship between emergency aid disbursement and retention rates across various demographic and institutional contexts and looks at how that aid was distributed, while “How Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding Shaped Student Experiences During the Pandemic” highlights the experiences of 247 students across the country as they applied for emergency funding and how they used the funds they received. Together, these two reports suggest that there is room for improvement to ensure that students from low-income backgrounds and students experiencing economic uncertainty can obtain a college degree.
May 10, 2024 by EdTrust An EdTrust in Texas deep dive into the pandemic funding awarded to postsecondary students and recommendations moving forward.
April 23, 2024 by EdTrust This report spotlights challenges that various Texas institutions faced and the creative ways in which these institutions confronted them and offers recommendations organized around key findings.
November 14, 2023 by EdTrust Based on reporting from calendar year 2021, our findings reflect the flow of pandemic emergency funds from the Department of Education to postsecondary institutions in Texas and ultimately to students.
