Some CCAC students may be eligible for more aid under federal CARES Act

Community College of Allegheny County students who meet federal assistance guidelines may be eligible to receive between $750 and $3,000 from the college’s allocation under the coronavirus relief package.

The aid is in addition to $500 the college distributed to 6,550 of its 25,000 students this spring. The money was part of about about $3.9 million the college was allocated for student aid under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act that was enacted in March, according to Jamie Hightower-Poindexter, CCAC’s executive director of financial aid.

In all, the college received about $7.9 million under the CARES Act. About half of that was required to go directly to students impacted by the covid-19 pandemic, Hightower-Poindexter said.

CCAC’s allocation was the second highest in the region after the University of Pittsburgh, which received $21 million in CARES money.

CCAC’s 25,000 students are enrolled at the four campuses CCAC operates, according to its website. Just over 15,000 of those students completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly called a FAFSA, that determines eligibility for financial aid.

To be eligible to receive help from the CARES Act funding, a student needed to be enrolled at CCAC in March and have a FAFSA on file at the college, Hightower-Poindexter said.

The college identified 6,550 students who met the criteria to receive $500 from CARES Act funding earlier this year, she said. Now, the college is working to distribute more cash on a sliding scale based upon need and circumstances to further help students, Hightower-Poindexter said.

“Tell us your situation; tell us what the impact was,” she said the college is asking of students.

About 110 students have been helped this far and more applications for aid are being accepted.

The covid-19 impacts can include losing a job, having health issues or having problems with affording rent, Hightower-Poindexter said.

Students are being asked to explain their situation and the aid will be distributed based upon the financial need they exhibited on the FAFSA form, she said.

Hightower-Poindexter expects the increased aid to drive student interest in CCAC’s programs. She pointed to the school’s relatively low costs of $116 per credit, which make it competitive with Indiana University of Pennsylvania ($80 per credit) and far under the University of Pittsburgh’s $775 per credit.

Community colleges like CCAC are preparing for an increase in enrollment as students are hesitant to commit to the expense of other colleges during the pandemic.