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Student Emergency Fund Request
When students experience a personal crisis or an emergency, they may be overwhelmed by the circumstances of the situation. Recognizing that unforeseen financial emergencies will occur for students, Penn State New Kensington has established a Student Emergency Funds Program to help meet the immediate needs of students experiencing crisis situations.
Funds are intended to provide short-term financial assistance to students who are managing demanding academic requirements while struggling with debilitating financial circumstances of an unforeseen nature. Provided in the form of one-time awards, emergency funding is not intended to provide ongoing relief for recurring expenses. Further, these awards are not loans that students are expected to repay, and every request for financial relief will be reviewed on its individual merits. The value of the awards range in response to the specific needs of the student but typically does not exceed $1,000.
Those requesting funds must fill out an online form for review.
Student Care and Advocacy
Students in need of emergency assistance are encouraged to review support resources available through the Student Care and Advocacy office within Student Affairs, which includes a link to the Student Emergency Fund application. You can contact the office by email as well: [email protected].
CARES Act Emergency Grants
As announced in Penn State News in April 2020, Penn State received approximately $27.5 million from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to award emergency financial aid grants to Penn State students to assist them with expenses related to disruption in campus operations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over $25 million in CARES Act grants were awarded to Penn State students in Round 1 of the awarding of these funds.
For students who did not receive CARES Act emergency financial aid grants during Round 1 of awarding, Penn State has allocated the remaining federal relief money to allow students to apply for support in Round 2. To help as many students as possible, those who received a grant in Round 1 are not eligible to apply for grants in Round 2. Likewise, students who have received University Student Emergency Funds to assist with COVID-19 expenses are not eligible to apply for grants in Round 2.
Round 2 Awards:
- Designated for students who did not receive CARES Act emergency financial aid grants during Round 1 of awarding
- Submission of an application does not guarantee that you will receive a CARES Act emergency financial aid grant
- Grants will be awarded to eligible students on a first-come, first-served basis
- Your application serves as your affirmation that you incurred qualifying expenses due to the COVID-19 disruption of University operations, and acceptance of any emergency financial aid grant that may be awarded to you to be used to cover these expenses
Round 2 Eligibility Requirements
- To be eligible to apply for a CARES Act emergency financial aid grant in Round 2, you must:
- Not have received a CARES Act grant in Round 1;
- Not have received University Student Emergency Funds to assist with COVID-19 expenses;
- Have completed a 2019-2020 FAFSA;
- Meet Title IV federal student aid eligibility requirements;
- Have been enrolled in, and completed, Spring Semester 2020; and
- Have attended a physical Penn State campus location Spring Semester 2020*.
*Note: While students at any physical Penn State campus location may apply for Round 2 grants, federal guidance prohibits students enrolled exclusively in online programs (i.e., World Campus students) from applying.
Go here for more information on eligibility requirements.
Other Financial Assistance
Penn State encourages students who are not eligible to apply for CARES Act emergency financial aid grants in Round 2 to explore the resources provided by the Office of Student Care and Advocacy for COVID-19 expenses.
In addition, Complete Penn State provides resources such as financial aid for students who are within one or two semesters of completing their first associate or bachelor's degree and experience a situation that negatively impacts their ability to complete their degree. Eligible students in need of aid are invited to apply at success.psu.edu/complete. Complete Penn State is available to students at all Penn State campuses, including World Campus, and to domestic and international students.
If you meet the eligibility requirements above and wish to apply for a CARES Act emergency financial aid grant, click the application link below to proceed to the application.
You will be notified of the results of your application via your Penn State email account.
To apply for a Round 2 CARES Act Grant, go to the application.
Complete Penn State
The Complete Penn State program is run by the Student Success Center and provides resources for students who are in their final two semesters of completing their first associate's or bachelor's degree. Complete Penn State supports students who experience a situation that negatively impacts their ability to complete their degree. The program offers a variety of support services, including re-enrollment support, aimed at helping students complete their degree requirements and achieve their academic goals.
In order to be eligible for Complete Penn State support, a student must be working towards their first associate's or bachelor's degree, and have:
- two or fewer semesters to complete degree requirements and 30 or fewer credits remaining
- a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA
- an unexpected hardship that is complicating degree completion
- exhausted all sources of federal and state aid (optional/for financial scholarship consideration only)
Students typically receive up to a maximum of $3,000 in scholarship aid that is based on the program’s assessment of their need and the availability of remaining funds. To request support for the 2019-20 academic year, which includes all summer sessions, students are asked to submit their requests no later than June 8. The program will begin reviewing requests for the 2020-21 academic year in late June/early July.