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Eligible USC students to receive federal assistance

Staff Report //May 13, 2020//

Eligible USC students to receive federal assistance

Staff Report //May 13, 2020//

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The University of South Carolina will begin immediately distributing $10.7 million in federal financial assistance to more than 20,000 students affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The funds will be made available to all students receiving Pell Grants and those eligible for Title IV Federal Student Financial Aid. Each student will receive between $400 to $800 in one-time relief through grants made available through the federal coronavirus relief bill enacted in late March, according to a news release from USC.

Grant recipients must be enrolled for the spring 2020 semester and attest they incurred expenses directly related to the closure of the Columbia campus in response to COVID-19 concerns, USC said. Eligible students will be contacted, and instructions for accepting the grant are posted on Self-Service Carolina.

“The well-being of students is our number one priority,” Bob Caslen, USC president, said in the release. “Our staff has worked quickly to take care of those students hardest hit financially by COVID-19, and we will distribute every dollar of this money as quickly as possible.”

In March, USC established the crowd-funded COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund to help students facing financial hardship as a result of unexpected travel or technology expenses or job loss. More than 300 students have received help through that fund, the university said.

According to its website, 1,728 students have requested aid through the relief fund, which has raised $251,618 toward a $400,000 goal.

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