CARES Act reporting
Student funding portion – HEERF II (CRRSAA) – All funding has been awarded.
April 8, 2021
The total amount of funds that the institution will receive or has received from the Department pursuant to the institution’s student portion pursuant to Section 314(a)(1) of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA).
GCSOM has received $80,018 under CRRSAA for direct student swards. The total required to be provided to students in the form of emergency financial aid grants is $80,018. However, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine disbursed not only the $80,018 required, but also disbursed the full amount of the institutional portion or an additional $129,435. In total, $209,453 has been disbursed to eligible GCSOM students in the form of Emergency Financial Aid Grants. This allowed GCSOM to reach more students with a meaningful award.
The total amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to students under Section 314(a)(1) of CRRSAA as of the date of submission of this report.
As of April 8, 2021, GCSOM has distributed all of the funding approved and the total grants processed went to 521 students for a total of $209,453. The average grant provided to students was $402 and the highest grant was $427. This report will be the only report posted for CRRSAA funds received.
The estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students under Section 314(a)(1) of CRRSAA.
Per the criteria below, the number of students eligible to receive funding equals 521 students. GCSOM enrolled 587 students during the spring 2021 semester.
The total number of students who have received an Emergency Financial Aid Grant to students under Section 314(a)(1) of CRRSAA.
As of April 8, 2021, GCSOM has processed grants for 521 students.
The method(s) used by the institution to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants and how much they would receive under Section 314(a)(1) of CRRSAA.
GCSOM distributed the funding received directly to medical and graduate students (including exclusively distance education courses) who, as of the date the awards are determined, had a 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and demonstrated financial need as determined by GCSOM’s Financial Aid Office. As a proxy to prioritize students with exceptional need, the expected family contribution (EFC) was used by the GCSOM’s Financial Aid Office to determine level of award with a range of $284 to $427 for eligible students. Students did not need to directly apply in order to be eligible.
Any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the Emergency Financial Aid Grants.
View communication to students.
The president and dean of GCSOM sent the following message to students:
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine has received funding as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), signed into law in December 2020. Although the bill authorized COVID-19 relief funding to be used for:
- direct awards to students (including those students exclusively enrolled in distance education); and
- institutional costs caused by the pandemic,
at GCSOM, we have decided to use all of our funding to make direct awards to students, prioritizing student with exceptional need. These awards will be made to help students recoup costs associated with the pandemic.
If you are eligible for an award, you will receive email from the Financial Aid office.
We will also post a set of FAQs on our portal under Financial Aid, COVID-19 section.