UWM students will receive over $8 million in financial aid through emergency grants as part of the CARES Act, according to the university. Many students who lost their jobs, homes and livelihoods as a result of the UW System’s COVID-19 Leave Policy will depend on this money to help them recover in the near future.
The university is splitting the aid money between at least two different grant programs: The CARES Grant, and the Student Emergency Grant.
Students can apply for a Student Emergency Grant through this web page or by clicking this link and signing in using the same credentials as their Canvas accounts.
Students can apply for a CARES Grant through this web page or by clicking this link and filling out a brief survey.
Those who apply for the CARES Grant should expect their application to be reviewed and money to start being distributed within two business days, according to an email from the university. The people reviewing applications are working hard to review the applications and distribute funding for students as quickly as possible, according to the same email.
The university is requesting students in need of financial assistance only apply for one grant at a time to help the money be distributed in the most effective way possible.
UW-Milwaukee will receive $16,925,665 in financial aid from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act signed into law on March 27, 2020. Students can expect to receive $8,462,633 of the roughly $17 million, which must be allocated to emergency financial aid grants for students.
The roughly $8.5 million is meant to provide necessary aid to students who have suffered financially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Students are meant to use the money for things like housing, food, healthcare and childcare.
Many students who already receive Pell Grants received an email about the availability of these emergency grants Monday morning. The application process for these students is less involved than other students because Pell Grant recipients because they are already enrolled in degree programs and the university already has a copy of their 2019-2020 FAFSA reports.
Those who have not filled out a FAFSA form yet can do so here.
Students who are not currently pursuing a degree through UWM are ineligible for CARES aid money through the university, according to an email from the university.
May 12 is the last day all student applications are guaranteed to be considered for the CARES Grant. Applications submitted after May 12 will be considered on a rolling basis until the funds for the grants run out, according to the university website.
To be eligible for the UWM CARES Grant money, students must have a valid Social Security number, be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, and if required, be registered with the Selective Service.
Most of the money not allocated for students at UWM from the CARES Act will be spread out to cover the $8-10 million loss for the fiscal year ending in June 2020 from the pandemic. Most of those losses are attributed to the previous housing, dining and parking refunds issued by the university earlier in the semester.
The university has issued emergency grant funds to at least 115 students so far.