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Syracuse University has allocated $10.4 million, or 68%, of its student federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to a total of 2,797 students as of March 31, according to the university’s Office of Financial Aid.

The American Rescue Plan Act, which was signed into law on March 11, 2021, allocated over $36 billion to higher education institutions. Around $2.6 billion went to schools in New York state, including SU and SUNY-ESF.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, SU received about $30.8 million. SUNY-ESF received $4.5 million dollars in federal aid from ARPA.

ARPA mandates that at least 50% of the funding received must be given to students as some sort of aid. This required SU to allocate around $15.4 million of its funding for students. The university has followed this policy, allocating the minimum required by law.

Sarah Scalese, the senior associate vice president for university communications at SU, told The Daily Orange that support from ARPA has been awarded to aid students with costs such as tuition, housing, academic supplies, transportation and child care.

On average, SU students receiving aid have been awarded $3,726.56 in ARPA funding.

Nearly $5 million of ARPA funds allocated for SU students has yet to be awarded as of April 4.

Scalese declined to give further clarification on how both the student allocation and institutional allocation have been used so far.

While SUNY-ESF did not respond for comment regarding ARPA funding, information regarding aid is publicly available through the U.S. Department of Education and the college’s website.

In fall 2021, SUNY-ESF’s Office of Financial Aid wrote that following “SUNY and internal awarding procedure,” $1,082,990 was awarded to 758 students. In spring 2022, with the same processes, $1,137,846 was awarded to 694 SUNY-ESF students.

Funding through the American Rescue Plan is the third iteration of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. The first two stages — the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act — also involved awards to SU, according to the Office of Financial Aid.

Through the CARES Act, $4,960,061 was allocated to SU students. By the end of January 2021, the entirety of the allocated funding was given out to a total of 2,781 students. On average, students received $1,783.55 from CARES Act funding.

A total of $4,960,061 was allocated to SU students through CRRSAA. By June 2021, the entirety of the funding was awarded to 2,713 students. SU students, on average, claimed $1,828.26 through CRSSAA.

In total, through the federal higher education relief fund, SU students have been allocated over $25 million in relief funding.

Published on April 4, 2022 at 10:19 pm

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard