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The College of Central Florida will distribute $2.53 million to current students from the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Fund. The funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act are to support college students whose lives have been disrupted, many of whom are facing challenges and struggling to make ends meet.

91��Ƭ will distribute $1.8 million to more than 3,200 students this week to be used for course materials, technology, food, housing, health care and child care. The college will have an additional $716,000 in emergency grant funds available through an application process for students with the greatest need.

“We are pleased to distribute these funds so that students can continue on their educational pathway,” said Dr. Jim Henningsen, 91��Ƭ president. “Now more than ever, it is critical that students prepare themselves for a career that will provide for them when times are good and when they are more challenging.”

While colleges have discretion over how to award the aid, they must prioritize students with the greatest need and factor in student socioeconomic status; exercise professional judgment to exclude this aid from a student’s cost of attendance; and not count the funds as Title IV aid.

In a news release issued by the U.S. Department of Education on April 9, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said: “What’s best for students is at the center of every decision we make. That’s why we prioritized getting funding out the door quickly to college students who need it most. We don’t want unmet financial needs due to the coronavirus to derail their learning.”

The College of Central Florida continues to offer classes in an online format through the summer and is providing all student services remotely during the COVID-19 crisis.