Cawthorn Votes Against WNC

North Carolina received over $1.3 billion for 144 colleges and universities including $432 million for community colleges due to the American Rescue Plan Today, the Department of Education announced that colleges and universities in North Carolina have received over $1.3 billion in American Rescue Plan funds – one of the largest one-time infusions of funding ever provided to the state’s colleges and universities. These funds were provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) over the past year.

The American Rescue Plan requires half of these funds to be used to provide direct financial relief to students; the Department of Education expects far more will ultimately be used for that purpose. In addition to $1.2 billion provided under previous coronavirus relief legislation, these funds are already being used by colleges and universities in North Carolina to serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These funds are already having a significant impact on institutions and students:

• A recent survey of college presidents by the American Council on Education found HEERF enabled:

• 93% of colleges to provide direct financial support to students at risk of dropping out o 81% of colleges to keep student net prices similar to pre-pandemic levels

• 70% of colleges to continue to employ faculty, staff, and other employees otherwise at risk of unemployment

• 63% of colleges to keep students and faculty safe by purchasing COVID-19 tests, health screenings, and health care

• Thousands of colleges and universities all across the country are using HEERF to keep students enrolled and on track to graduate, as well as make college more affordable, by providing emergency grants, discharging outstanding student debt or unpaid balances, and eliminating transcript withholding practices. As part of a state-by-state breakdown of funding, the Administration reported that these American Rescue Plan funds included significant investments in key institutions in North Carolina, including:

• Approximately $432 million for community colleges

• Over $307 million for 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

• Over $55 million for 8 Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) – which includes Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, and Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions.