Student Emergency Fund

Student Emergency Fund grants are designed to assist students facing an emergency event that may otherwise result in those students leaving school. The fund cannot help students with chronic financial issues.

All applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Examples of eligible emergencies include: 

• An apartment or house fire 

• A parent or guardian dying or becoming seriously ill 

• A parent or guardian losing their job 

• A medical dental bill not covered by insurance 

Students may only receive one Student Emergency Fund grant per academic year. Applicants who have received a grant in previous academic years are scrutinized more closely.

Grants cannot be used to pay for any of the following:

• Tuition and/or fees

• Study guides and/or homework websites

• Laptops and/or computers

• Books — unless the student is seeking to replace books lost due to damage or theft and can prove those circumstances by submitting documentation

• Credit card bills

• Cable television and/or pay channels

• Luxury items, including rents in excess of customary

• Expenses that support a student’s family residence, including rent or mortgage payments at a permanent address if the student does not live there while in school

• Gaps between a student’s financial aid award and their expected family contribution (EFC) as determined by FAFSA

• Expenses that don’t directly support the student’s education

• Auto expenses that are unrelated to travel for the student's education

Applicants are asked to identify a dollar amount when describing various needs, such as food, housing, transportation, etc.

The maximum grant amount is $2,000 — although the maximum is only granted in rare circumstances.

Applications that request funds above $2,000 will be denied.

All applicants must submit documentation supporting their requests, such as:

• Documentation of the Emergency Event: Applicants must provide documentation of the emergency that caused their financial shortfall. Examples include a police report, layoff notice, obituary, etc.

• Actual Bills: Applicants who are requesting funds to cover bills (such as utility bills) must submit PDFs or screenshots of the actual bills. Screenshots of payment portals will not be accepted.

• Signed Leases: Applicants who are requesting funds to cover rent must include a PDF or screenshot of their lease. Please also confirm who a rent check should be addressed to and where it should be mailed.

• Actual Estimates: Applicants who are requesting funds for medical, dental or auto repair work must include PDFs or screenshots of actual estimates from the healthcare provider or auto repair company.

All applicants (except international students) must have a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) filed for this academic year before they submit their Student Emergency Fund application.

Students who have access to federal student loans will be asked to first use those funds to resolve their emergency.

Visit the Financial Aid website for additional information on FAFSA and student loans.