Central Texas will receive a total of $84,147,616 in federal grants to respond to the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, the release said. SU was granted $1,213,449 in total aid.
At least 50% of each grant must go toward providing students with emergency financial aid grants to help cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus, the release said. The CARES Act allows each institution discretion in how to award this assistance to its students, it said.
SU’s student aid portion is $606,725.
“No Texan should have to give up their education because of the economic effects of the coronavirus,” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in the release. “In addition to allowing students to defer their federal student loan payments for six months, the CARES Act provides targeted funding to Texas institutions to help students continue their education—even if that means taking classes online.”
Other Central Texas universities that received federal funding include:
- Austin Community College: $13,907,800
- Houston-Tillotson University: $1,630,192
- St. Edward’s University: $4,142,345
- University of Texas at Austin: $31,462,321
- Texas State University: $31,791,509
In total, Texas institutions of higher education were awarded more than $1 billion of the $14 billion available, the release said.
