Collin College offering grants, tuition credit for students affected by coronavirus pandemic

Collin College is offering student grants and tuition credit to students who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the college's shift to online courses.

The college is providing this assistance in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

A first phase of nearly $5 million in emergency grants had been awarded as of May 6 to more than 6,000 students identified as needy by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. With the remaining funds, Collin College can assist roughly 14,000 more students, according to the Collin College.

Students can now apply through an internal application process. The application can be found in CougarWeb Financial Aid by navigating to the Emergency Grant Assistance tab on the website. A completed FAFSA is required for students to apply.

A second type of assistance is available in the form of course tuition credit. Students who withdrew from courses following the abrupt change to online-only teaching in March can apply for credits for multiple courses.

The credit would cover the cost of tuition and activity fees for a course being retaken by a student who withdrew after March 13. Additional lab and special course fees would be paid for by the student, as well as textbooks.

These credits can be applied to summer or fall 2020 courses, with some exceptions for special cases.

More information, applications and a contact on the Collin CARES assistance can be found on the Collin College website.