emergency grant student questions
Eligibility
The Emergency Grant is open to local and out-of-state; domestic (non-international) students, including both DACA and undocumented and undergraduate and master’s students who are facing one-time, unexpected emergencies which are impeding their ability to continue forward in their degree program. Eligible students must be at least halfway through their program and have completed at least one full term at Bellevue University.
The emergency grant can cover a number of expenses and situations a student is facing. Examples include:
- Reimbursement for a transportation card to travel to and from school and/or medical appointments.
- Documented theft of course textbooks and/or other essential academic items.
- Loss of academic tools from fire or theft.
- Dislocation from home due to domestic violence or natural disasters.
- Temporary job loss.
- Sudden loss of childcare to cover academic periods.
- Unexpected medical and/or dental expenses.
- Car repairs.
The types of expenses that are not covered by the emergency grant include but are not limited to:
- Legal expenses (for divorce or child custody cases, civil or criminal cases, etc.).
- Credit card bills.
- Late fees, service fees, and fines on the student’s account.
- Previous debts or past due balances owed to the University or other colleges/universities.
- Damage/repair fees due to campus housing.
If you meet the eligibility guidelines to apply and the situation warrants financial assistance, then, yes, renewable scholarship students currently on scholarship can be awarded emergency grants
At this time, international students do not qualify. If this policy changes, we will communicate this.
In order to be eligible to apply for an emergency grant, you must be a degree-seeking student. However, full-time enrollment may not be required. This is based on how many terms you have left to complete, courses needed, and when those courses are offered.
Yes, at this time, the Emergency Grant is open to local and distance domestic students including graduate students at the Master’s level. Ph.D. candidates are not eligible to apply.
A specific amount of credit hours already obtained is not required. There is not a specific minimum GPA; however, you must maintain and be meeting SAP (Standards of Academic Progress) to qualify. This will vary by program and career level.
Applying for the Funds
A student interested in applying for an emergency grant will first need to contact his or her assigned Student Coach. The Student Coach will discuss your current emergency situation with you to determine if you are eligible to submit an application for an emergency grant. From there, additional instructions will be provided.
The application is an online form available on the Bellevue University CommunityForce scholarship application portal. It consists of sections of questions pertaining to personal/demographic data, academic information and financial information (including a personal statement by you, the student, to clearly define the emergency situation you are currently facing and how it is preventing you from continuing in school). A section for attachments is available for uploading supporting or additional documentation. Students applying will need to sign the application, as well. No references/recommendations are needed.
If you aren’t sure of what is being asked or requested on the application, you may reach out to scholarships@bellevue.edu for assistance.
If you need assistance in writing your personal statement, you are encouraged to contact the Bellevue University Writing Center at: writing@bellevue.edu or 1.402.557.5449 The Writing Center’s Office is located on the Bellevue University Main Campus in Room #439 of the Freeman/Lozier Library Learning Commons. Writing Center services are available both in-person and online.
Yes. Once the funds are exhausted, additional requests will not be considered until we have secured more funding.
There are no specific application deadlines. The application is open as long as funding is available.
There is not a set limit regarding how many times a student can apply. Subsequent applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. No guarantees of awards will be made for approved submissions. Students cannot apply for and receive emergency grant funds for the same emergency situation more than one time.
Receiving the Grant Money
From the time of application submission, the review process can take between seven to 10 business days for a decision, unless an urgent decision is warranted. If an urgent decision is warranted, you will receive the decision within 24-48 hours. However, if the application is received after normal business hours, on the weekend, or during a holiday, the process will pick up the following business day which may delay the decision.
If it is for expenses on your student account, the Scholarships & Grants Office will submit the award to the Financial Aid Office via the current scholarship awarding process. Financial Aid will process and list the award within your student financial aid for the specific term and it will disburse to the account following the standard disbursement policy.
If the funds are for expenses outside of Bellevue University, an internal form will be submitted by the Scholarships & Grants Office to the Financial Aid Office to process. The Financial Aid Office will process and post the grant within 48 hours. In the event the Emergency Grant award needs to be expedited under the 48-hour time period, the Financial Aid Office will be asked to expedite processing. Student Accounts will then issue a refund directly to the student. Normal award processing takes three days from refund to posting date. Checks normally take five to seven business days to arrive through postal mail. If needed sooner, Student Accounts will request a refund check through financial accounts payable as a same-day post. Accounts Payable will disburse a check within 24 hours. Local or regional checks can be available the same day if needed, and regional checks can be expedited using FedEx.
Possibly. Depending on the expense(s) the grant is used for, it may be considered taxable income. Please be sure to speak to your tax accountant or tax lawyer for more information about the impacts on your taxes.
No, the emergency grant will not have to be paid back to the University as long as you meet all conditions of the grant, which is specific to each student’s situation.
There are many factors that are weighed to determine if your situation will be approved for receiving an emergency grant. First, there must be funds available in the account to award. Secondly, you must meet the qualifications to apply. Once qualified, the quality of information provided in the application and any supplemental documentation will hold significant weight. Additionally, a student’s degree progression (how close you are to degree completion/conferral), SAP status (Standards of Academic Progress), and financial situation will all be considered.