The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) recently received $46.5 million through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund to support Emergency Educational Grants to Texas Undergraduate Students for the Fall 2020 semester.  UNT Dallas received $436,055 in GEER program funds to award to undergraduate students through the Emergency Educational Grants portion of the GEER Fund.  The GEER Fund is a component of the Federal CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of the Emergency Educational Grant is to provide financial relief to victims of the pandemic emergency through federally-funded educational grants to keep Texans on track to attaining high-value educational credentials.

The Emergency Educational Grant is a “last-dollar” scholarship, which may not exceed $2,500. The grant has an additional limitation that it may not exceed remaining financial need.  If awarded, the grant will be applied to your UNT Dallas Fall 2020 term bill.  If there are no active charges for the grant to pay toward, you will be refunded the portion of the grant that did not go towards active charges for the Fall 2020 term.

The Emergency Educational Grant from the GEER Fund is only available during the Fall 2020 semester.  This program will not be offered in any future semester.  Students must apply no later than Monday, October 26, 2020.  Late applications will not be accepted.  Applications will be reviewed and funded in the order in which they are received.  There is no guarantee that any submitted application will be funded.

To be eligible to receive an Emergency Educational Grant from the GEER Fund, a student must:

1. Be a Texas resident as defined by Board rules;  
2. U.S. Citizen or an eligible non-citizen (including a U.S. National or Permanent Resident)  
3. Have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)for the 2020-2021 academic year  
4. Complete verification, if selected  
5. Must be meeting the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (2.0 GPA and 67% completion rate)  
6. Be eligible for Title IV federal student financial aid;   
7. Show financial need, as defined by Board rules;   
8. Have suffered a financial impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic as determined by the institution:  
9. Be enrolled in coursework leading to an associate or baccalaureate degree or undergraduate certificate program at an eligible institution; and  
10. Have either:
    
    • Graduated from high school between September 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020; or   
    • Have been enrolled in coursework at an eligible institution during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Funding Disbursements 

No grant may exceed the lesser of:

1. $2,500; or
2. The student's financial need minus all gift aid, as defined by Board rules, the student has been offered at the time the Emergency Educational Grant is offered; or
3. The sum of the student's tuition, fees, and supplemental expenses minus all gift aid the student has been offered at the time the Program grant is offered. Supplemental expenses are defined as an estimate of course materials determined by the institution that is not to exceed $500.

The Emergency Educational Grant is a “last-dollar” scholarship, which may not exceed $2,500. The grant has an additional limitation that it may not exceed remaining financial need.  If awarded, the grant will be applied to your UNT Dallas Fall 2020 term bill.  If there are no active charges for the grant to pay toward, you will be refunded the portion of the grant that did not go towards active charges for the Fall 2020 term.

The last-dollar amount is calculated as follows:

 Add together the student's tuition, fees, and supplemental expenses for the fall semester. Supplemental expenses are defined as an estimate of course materials determined by the institution that is not to exceed $500.

• Add together all gift aid the student has been offered at the time the Emergency Educational Grant is offered. Gift aid is defined as grants, scholarships, exemptions, waivers, and other financial aid provided to a student without a requirement to repay the funding or earn the funding through work.
• Subtract the total gift aid from the total tuition, fees, and supplemental expenses.
• If the result is greater than $2,500, reduce the calculated value to $2,500.

 The remaining financial need amount is calculated as follows:

•  Subtract the student’s Excepted Family Contribution from the student’s Cost of Attendance to determine the student’s financial need.
• Subtract the student’s total gift aid from the student’s financial need. Gift aid is defined as grants, scholarships, exemptions, waivers, and other financial aid provided to a student without a requirement to repay the funding or earn the funding through work.
• If the result is greater than $2,500, reduce the calculated value to $2,500.
• A student’s eligibility is the lesser of the last-dollar calculation or the remaining financial need calculation.

Link to Application

 

The application will close on Monday, October 26.  Late applications will not be accepted.