CARES Act at Pepperdine

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocates funds to support individuals and organizations affected by the pandemic and economic downturn. The Act includes several sources of funds for colleges and universities, including the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.

Pepperdine will receive funds under the CARES Act to provide emergency grants to students for COVID-19 related expenses, including food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care. The University's Student Care Team is working closely with Financial Aid and Finance to coordinate these emergency grants to students who qualify.

The University aims to assist as many students as possible in meeting their emergency financial needs during this challenging time. We are all here to support you.

The Pepperdine Strong Fund is a University-led resource for students that addresses food, housing, and financial insecurity throughout the year. The CARES Act at Pepperdine Fund is federally funded and is intended to help cover COVID-19 related expenses for eligible students.

The Student Care Team may refer select students to the Pepperdine Strong Fund or other resources, as appropriate, to address their need(s). A member of the Student Care Team will reach out to those students to provide additional information.

On Tuesday, April 21, the US Department of Education announced that it is limiting CARES Act funding to students who are eligible to receive federal financial aid (under Section 484 of the Higher Education Act) and are enrolled in a program that met on-campus prior to the transition to online classes due to COVID-19. Under these guidelines, international students and students enrolled exclusively in an online program are not eligible to receive funding. Note that new federal guidance was issued on May 21, 2020 updating the eligibility requirements for CARES Act funding recipients. 

Students were advised to complete the application for the CARES Act emergency assistance by May 31, 2020. The application identifies common costs that are eligible for emergency grant funding, including food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care needs.

Newly admitted students and current students facing a change in income and expected family contribution, should contact their respective financial aid office, contact information below:

Seaver College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences
finaid2@pepperdine.edu

Caruso School of Law
lawfinaid@pepperdine.edu

Graziadio Business School
pgbsfinancialaid@pepperdine.edu

Graduate School of Education and Psychology
gsepfaid@pepperdine.edu

School of Public Policy
christopher.j.jones@pepperdine.edu

No. The US Department of Education clarified on April 21, 2020, that the CARES Act Fund is not available to international students.

The Pepperdine Strong Fund is ready to assist international students who are experiencing financial distress due to unforeseen circumstances. Please reach out to the Student Care Team to complete the process for requesting assistance.

No. The Department of Education clarified on April 21, 2020, that the CARES Act Fund is not available to students enrolled exclusively in online programs prior to Pepperdine's transition to remote learning on March 13th, 2020, at this time.

The Pepperdine Strong Fund and other student emergency fund resources will be considered to support online students who are experiencing financial distress due to unforeseen circumstances. Please note that the allocated cash aid from these resources may vary on a case-by-case basis. If you applied for CARES Act funding, your information was forwarded to the Student Care Team staff. They will reach out to students as soon as possible.

If you are a financial aid recipient with remaining loan eligibility, you may also wish to consider that option. Private financing may also be available. Please refer to your respective Financial Aid Office for more information.

Yes, the CARES Act application was open from May 1 to May 31 and is currently closed. 

The University understands that students are experiencing challenges during this time, and has reserved a portion of the CARES Act funding for the Fall 2020 semester. If you have experienced unforeseen emergency expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19, please contact the Student Care Team as soon as possible. The remaining CARES Act funds are limited. The University is here to support you during this challenging time. 

The emergency CARES Act at Pepperdine funds are for expenses related to COVID-19 from March 13, 2020, the date the president declared a national emergency, through May 31, 2020.

The application process is currently closed. The University understands that students are experiencing challenges during this time, and has reserved a portion of the CARES Act funding for the Fall 2020 semester. If you have experienced unforeseen emergency expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19, please contact the Student Care Team as soon as possible. The remaining CARES Act funds are limited. The University is here to support you during this challenging time. 

No. Funding from the CARES Act Pepperdine fund will not impact a student's financial aid package since CARES Act funding is not categorized as financial aid.

The amount of funding will depend on your specific financial circumstances, and will vary on a case-by-case basis. 

In an effort to issue funds widely to students impacted by COVID-19, disbursements were based on a case-by-case basis and may not cover the total amount requested.

We are currently reviewing completed applications and will fund eligible students as quickly as possible. Due to the high volume of applications we are receiving, we cannot reliably provide the exact timing for funding disbursement. You can help expedite funding disbursement by responding to all requests for clarification and documentation as quickly as possible.

If funding is approved, the emergency funds will be disbursed to you via a digital disbursement process,  with all communication routed through your Pepperdine email. Specifically, the student will receive a notification email informing them that Pepperdine University has paid them. Within the email, the recipient will need to accept the payment and direct it to the account of their choosing. Although this disbursement will come from Chase, the funds can be received by the financial institution of your choosing, to any of your accounts. Once the funds have been electronically accepted, funds will be available in the account of the recipient in 2-3 business days.

Please note, CARES Act grant funds are not a discount on tuition. Disbursements from this fund will not be applied to an outstanding balance on your student account.

The IRS has announced that emergency grants to students are nontaxable.

Pepperdine University will reserve a portion of the CARES Act funding for the 2020–2021 year as it is currently unknown how long we will be impacted by the coronavirus.

The University understands that students are experiencing challenges during this time, and has reserved a portion of the CARES Act funding for the Fall 2020 semester. If you have experienced unforeseen emergency expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19, please contact the Student Care Team as soon as possible. The remaining CARES Act funds are limited. The University is here to support you during this challenging time. 

Please contact our Student Care Team. We are all here to support you during this time and are praying that you remain safe, healthy, and well.

The Department of Education report can be viewed here.