Northwest Distributes More Than $1.4 Million in CARES Funds

A total of 2,185 Northwest Mississippi Community College students have collectively received over $1.4 million in emergency grant funds after Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March.

At that time, the college was awarded over $2.8 million from the US Department of Education through the Act, which sought to aid students during the disruption of campus activities across the nation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We continue to support our students’ personal success during this unprecedented time,” said Dr. Michael Heindl, Northwest president.

The college has opened the second round of applications for students who did not previously submit an emergency grant request. Students eligible to receive funds are those who were enrolled in on-campus classes on or prior to March 13 and who are eligible to receive funding under Section 484 Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 by completing a 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Students who were exclusively enrolled in online (eLearning) classes will not be eligible for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds due to the formula provided by Congress in the CARES Act. Eligible students have received directions via email that include links to the Northwest CARES Act webpage and a link to the emergency relief funds application.

Northwest students who filed a 2019-2020 FAFSA may complete the Emergency Financial Aid Application at the following link: https://nwcc.wufoo.com/forms/cares-act-student-emergency-grant-claim-form/. The application period runs from June 22-June 30. Northwest students who did not file a 2019-2020 FAFSA may check their eligibility for grant funds by first completing the FAFSA at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa and including the Northwest school code, 002427. For assistance in completing the FAFSA, contact the Northwest Financial Aid Office at (662) 562-3271 or email fin_aid@northwestms.edu. After completing the FAFSA, students may submit an application for grant funds through the above link.

Emergency financial aid grant funds will be disbursed on or before July 17, 2020. The funds will be disbursed by BankMobile, which partners with the college to disburse all student financial aid refunds electronically. Students should be sure to complete the BankMobile account setup process and select refund preferences by visiting https://www.refundselection.com/refundselection/#/welcome/continue.

For more information on CARES Act funding and student eligibility, please visit the Northwest website at northwestms.edu.

Release courtesy of Northwest Mississippi Community College