Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) received $2,763,297 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Virginia Western signed and returned to the U.S. Department of Education the Certification and Agreement and the assurance that the institution has used, or intends to use, no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
VWCC received $1,381,649 from the Department of Education (DOE) pursuant to the institution’s Certification and Agreement [for] Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.
As of, February 1st, 2021, VWCC distributed $1,375,660 in Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
VWCC had an estimated 2,554 students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in 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. Under CARES Act annual reporting this number was revised to 1,866 due to subsequent changes in enrollment and student withdraws allowed under the guidance of the CARES Act.
As of February 1st, 2021, VWCC processed Emergency Financial Aid Grant to 1,859 unique students under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act.
VWCC distributed 99% of these funds to students who had already established Title IV eligibility with respect to Section 484 of the Higher Education Act equaling a total of $1,375,660. There was no application required. VWCC sought to model the distribution of funds consistent with the methodology used to determine the amount of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) VWCC would receive and three additional institutionally determined eligibility requirements.
- Seventy-five percent of our funds were distributed to Pell eligible students and the remaining 25% were distributed to non-Pell eligible students as determined by EFC on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- The student must be in at least 6 credits.
- The student must not have been enrolled in all online courses prior to March 13th, 2020.
- The student had an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) between 0 and 19,000.
All eligible students (1,858) for Emergency Financial Aid Grants under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act were awarded the same dollar amount ($740). Our method aimed to promptly make available emergency financial aid grants from the advanced funds directly to students for their expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child-care expenses.*
Funds were disbursed directly to each eligible student in its entirety, no funds were held for possible debts owed to VWCC. Additionally, VWCC provided eligible students with this information:
- The funds you will receive are intended for costs you incurred due to this disruption and may include course materials, technology (i.e. laptop, internet access, data plans, etc.), food, housing, health care, and childcare. This also includes costs to support continued online education during the pandemic.
- The amount that will be issued to you is: $740.00. The college will begin to issue these funds on Thursday, May 14th at noon, and you should expect to see them within 21 days, depending on your current refund preference. Please verify your payment method prior to this date.
- If you have questions about the tax implications please visit this IRS link: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-higher-education-emergency-relief-fund-and-emergency-financial-aid-grants-under-the-cares-act. For more specific questions you should contact a tax professional.
- You will receive your funds either by direct deposit or a check will be mailed to the current mailing address on file. If you are already set up for direct deposit from the college and/or your mailing address is current and correct in SIS, then no additional action is required.
- To review your refund options visit https://vwcc.afford.com/. If it is your first time setting up direct deposit, you will need to create an account by using the ‘Resend Registration Email’ using your school email account (do not use your personal email).
- To check the mailing address the college has on file log into your MYVWCC account and click the SIS (Student Information System) tile. Then go to the ‘Student Center’ and scroll to the bottom of the page to review and edit your mailing address.
This information represents the most recent quarterly information as of February 1st, 2021.
*Since the initial reporting 7 checks were returned as uncashed and expired. VWCC had a total reported eligible population of 1,866 students reported on archived reports but subsequently was only able to award 1,859 students.
For previous updates, visit the CARES Act Reporting Archive page here.
Need help registering?
Call our Student Support Center at 855-874-6690 or visit the Student Support website.