Financial Aid and Scholarships

CARES Act Emergency Grants Report

May 18, 2020

The following public information is provided in compliance with Section § 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act for California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona):

1. Cal Poly Pomona signed and returned to the Department of Education the Certification and Agreement on April 13, 2020 for the Student Aid portion of the grant. Cal Poly Pomona has used or will use no less than 50 percent of the funds received under Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students.

2. Cal Poly Pomona received notice on April 24, 2020, that it had received an award of $15,452,045. This amount represents fifty percent of the total funds to be received by Cal Poly Pomona under Section 18004(a)(1) and will be used by the University to provide emergency financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus.

3. The total amount of the Emergency Financial Aid Grants distributed to 17,348 students under section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act is $13,876,800 as of May 18, 2020.

4. Cal Poly Pomona’s funding model was based on the number of students (undergraduate, graduate and credential) that were eligible for the CARES Emergency Grants and the funds allocated to the University to distribute. Based on these factors, Cal Poly Pomona utilized Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as calculated through the 2019-20 FAFSA to determine an equitable distribution of funds. Students who had already demonstrated financial need received the largest portion of these funds and were selected to receive automatic payments with no application required. The amount was also determined by full-time and part-time spring term enrollment status.

5. Eligible students are then divided into four Groups.

    • Group 1: Students with the lowest income status who received maximum state and/or federal aid (total students 12,083).
    • Group 2: Students with some financial need prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (total students 2,186).
    • Group 3: Eligible students without regard to prior state and/or federal aid received (total students 5,456).
    • Group 4: Eligible students that are eligible to file a FAFSA but did file a 2019-20 FAFSA (total students 4,120).
Spring 2020 Enrollment Group 1
EFC of $0 to $4,000
Group 2
EFC of $4,001 to $8,000
Group 3
EFC greater than $8,000
Group 4
Non-FASA Filer (must file FAFSA)
Full-time12 or more units:
Undergraduate of Credential 6 or more units:
Graduate
$1,000 $650 $300 $250
Part-time1 to 11 units:
Undergraduate or Credential1 to 5 units:
Graduate
$650 $350 $200 $200

6. Students in Group 1 and 2 were automatically awarded the initial grants (approximately 84% of campus funding). Students in Group 3 were required to complete a CARES application and indicate COVID-19 expenses incurred to claim funds. Students in Group 4 were required to complete the 2019-20 FAFSA and the CARES application to indicate COVID-19 expenses incurred to claim funds. 

7. The total number of students at Cal Poly Pomona eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants is 23,845.

8. Emails were sent to all eligible students for the CARES Emergency Grants on May 5, 2020.

9. Additional information about student eligibility and the application process has been made available at: www.cpp.edu/csu-cares