CARES Act

The CARES Act is federal legislation that was signed into law by Congress on March 27, 2020, to provide emergency assistance and economic relief for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among other provisions, the CARES Act authorized the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, through which allocations were made to individual institutions of higher education. MMC has received $1,701,441 through this fund, 50% of which ($850,721) must be distributed directly to students in the form of emergency grants to assist with unexpected expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students who are eligible for federal student aid under Title IV(opens in a new tab) are eligible to receive an emergency grant through the CARES Act.

Eligibility and award amount are based on federal need as calculated by the FAFSA form. Priority is given to the neediest (PELL-eligible) students first. Other eligible students—those who have completed the FAFSA—will be notified prior to May 31, 2020. All eligible students will receive a confirmation email when they are approved, indicating their award amount and details on how they will receive their funds, as well as any instructions they should follow.

Students who are potentially eligible for CARES Act funds but who have not yet completed a FAFSA will be contacted by the Center for Student Services (CSS).

Unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Education does not allow these funds to be used for international students, undocumented students, or non-matriculated students. 

Filing the FAFSA is the easiest way. The items listed below are required and are collected through the FAFSA.

To be Title IV Federal Aid eligible, students must:

• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a degree or certificate program
• Be making satisfactory academic progress
• Have completed a 2019-20 or 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Not owe an overpayment on Title IV grants or loans
• Not be in default on a Title IV loan
• File “as part of the original financial aid application process” a certification that includes:
  • A statement of educational purpose
  • Student’s SSN
• Be a U.S. citizen or national, permanent resident, or other eligible noncitizen
• Have returned fraudulently obtained Title IV funds if convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to charges
• Not have fraudulently received Title IV loans above annual or aggregate limits
• Have repaid Title IV loan amounts over annual or aggregate limits if obtained
• Have Selective Service registration verified if male
• Have a verified Social Security Number
• Not have a federal or state conviction for drug possession or sale, with certain time limitations

Currently, 1,519 MMC students are potentially eligible for CARES Act funds based upon the Department of Education’s eligibility criteria.

Of this total, 1,207 have already completed a FAFSA for the 2019-20 year and will not have to file any paperwork to receive their funding. The remaining 311 students will be contacted by CSS and can be reviewed and potentially granted funding if they submit a 2019-20 or 2020-21 FAFSA.

After signing and returning the Certification and Agreement form, the College received the grant funds and President Kerry Walk appointed a task force, which has been diligently assessing student eligibility and developing procedures for distributing funding to eligible students.

We expect the first round of funds—to full-time, PELL-eligible students enrolled in the Spring 2020 semester—to be disbursed to students beginning Thursday, May 21, 2020. Grants to all remaining full-time and part-time, Title IV-eligible students will be distributed by the end of May.

Recipients will be notified of their eligibility and award amount via a message to their MMC email account. MMC will begin to disburse emergency financial aid grants from MMC’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Allocation to students by Thursday May 21, 2020. Students who have enrolled in direct deposit will see their funds appear in their account within 3 business days after disbursement. Those who receive paper checks will receive those funds within 10 days after the check is processed.

All full-time, Pell-eligible students, enrolled in the Spring 2020 semester, will receive a one-time grant of $750. These funds will begin to be distributed as of Thursday, May 21, 2020.

All remaining Spring 2020 full-time, Title IV-eligible students will receive a pro-rated grant, based on need as determined by the FAFSA, of between $350 – $600. Grants to part-time students will be pro-rated based on enrolled credits. These funds will be distributed by the end of May.

Students who have not yet completed a FAFSA will be contacted by the Center for Student Services.

The CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund provides funding to institutions to provide emergency financial aid grants to students whose lives have been disrupted by COVID-19, many of whom are facing financial challenges and are struggling to make ends meet. Eligible expenses may include food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care.

Students will receive a message to their MMC email account with details about your award amount and any instructions you need to follow to receive your funds.

Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in direct deposit to receive CARES Act funds quickly and securely. See instructions below.

Students who do not or cannot sign up for direct deposit will receive a paper check. See instructions below for updating your mailing address if needed.

EFT/Direct Deposit Instructions

Enrolling is quick and easy. Be sure to have your bank account and routing numbers on hand. To begin the process, follow the steps below:

• Log onto MMC Connect using your MMC credentials
• Under the ‘Financial Information’ section, select ‘Bank Information (U.S.)’ and follow the on-screen instructions.
• Once you complete the online registration, a confirmation email will be sent to your MMC email address.

Update Preferred Permanent Mailing Address*

*Please note that EFT/Direct Deposit is the preferred method for fund distribution.

• Log onto MMC Connect using your MMC credentials
• Under the ‘User Account” section, select “Update Mailing Address” and follow the on-screen instructions.

Emergency grants provided to students through the CARES Act are not taxable. Click here to read detailed guidance from the IRS.

Please send a message to CARESAct@mmm.edu if you have further questions, and a member of the Center for Student Services will respond as soon as possible.