On April 10, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis announced that $378 million from the Department of Education will go to North Carolina colleges to help them weather the fallout of COVID-19. The 142 North Carolina colleges, public and private, that will receive the funding are required to use about half of the amount for cash grants to students.
“This funding will quickly move out the door to students in North Carolina who face unexpected financial expenses and need assistance now,” Tillis said in a press release. “This direct relief to students will help to prevent disruptions to our students’ studies and the pursuit of their academic and professional goals.”
College administrators are free to decide which students will receive emergency grants, and students can spend the grants on “expenses related to disruptions to their education due to the coronavirus outbreak.” That can include food, housing, health care, and technology.
The funds, however, aren’t evenly distributed. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will receive the most of all North Carolina colleges, $24.3 million. But some schools aren’t so lucky. Elizabeth City State University will receive $2.1 million and the UNC School of the Arts will get $869,000—the lowest of all UNC schools.
The other half of the money received can be used as college leaders see fit. The full list of colleges who will receive federal assistance was provided by the Department of Education.
The below tables show the institutions receiving the most in North Carolina, divided by UNC schools, community colleges, and private colleges.
This round of funding might not be the end of federal assistance, either. Higher education lobbyists are already asking for more coronavirus aid, setting a minimum goal of $47 billion as what’s needed for stabilization.
Anthony Hennen is managing editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal.