CRRSAA Act

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSAA) Act was passed by Congress and signed into law to provide economic relief from COVID-19. The CRRSAA Act is part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, which provides funds to institutions of higher education, like Saint Joseph's University in Lancaster, for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Notably, a portion of these funds is intended to be distributed directly to eligible students.

Saint Joseph's Lancaster location was approved for $389,320 in CRRSAA funds to distribute to students as emergency grants for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care. In addition, Saint Joseph's University in Lancaster utilized $177,880 of the institutional portion of the CRRSAA funding for student emergency grants.

• Quarter 1: The total amount of funds that Saint Joseph's University in Lancaster has received from the Department spent on Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students from the CRRSAA Act in Q1 of 2021 was $551,000, which included $389,320 from the student emergency fund and $161,680 from the institutional fund.
• Quarter 2: The total amount of funds that Saint Joseph's University in Lancaster has received from the Department spent on Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students from the CRRSAA Act in Q2 of 2021 was $16,200, entirely from the institutional fund.
• The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under the CRRSAA Act as to date is $567,200.
• The estimated total number of students at Saint Joseph's University in Lancaster that are eligible to apply for an Emergency Financial Aid Grant under the CRRSAA Act is 1,982.
• The total number of students who applied for and have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant under the CRRSAA Act is 709.

• The University's method of evaluating eligibility was based off of the students Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and enrollment to determine how much they would receive under the CRRSAA Act.
   

  Job Placement:	Total # of graduates employed in 6 months/Total # of Graduates
  Cohort # & Concentration	2022	2021	2020	3-Year Average Job Placement Rate
  Cohort 2 Vascular 2021	7/7 (100%) Employed Graduates

Saint Joseph's Lancaster location sent emails to all students that were enrolled during the Spring 2021 semester as of February 24, 2021 (the date the awards were determined), notifying and reminding them to apply for CRRSAA Act funding. The initial notification email sent to students was as follows:

The Office of Student Financial Services is pleased to announce plans to disburse Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSAA) Act grants to students whose education was disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. These grants are available to students as emergency grants for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care. The grants do not need to be repaid.

To receive CRRSAA funding, you must complete a 2020-2021 FAFSA; though this is not a federal requirement, it is how the College will determine financial need. Click here to review additional eligibility requirements. (Please note, CRRSAA has different requirements and thresholds than the CARES Act. Eligibility and grant amounts may differ from what you experienced with the CARES Act.)

To apply for CRRSAA funding, click here. Applications must be received by Monday, February 22. In addition, if you have not yet filed your 2020-2021 FAFSA, that must also be filed by Monday, February 22. Please note, filing a 2021-2022 FAFSA does not fulfill this requirement.

Once the application window has closed, further updates regarding your application will be sent in early March.

Additional information regarding how to apply for these funds were located on the Saint Joseph's University in Lancaster portal; the location of this information was distributed to all students enrolled at Saint Joseph's Lancaster location during the Spring 2021 semester.