Lincoln, Neb. — The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture will distribute $200,000 in federal stimulus funding to support students facing financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds were provided by the U.S. Department of Education through the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) and are designed to prioritize aid to students based on their socioeconomic circumstances.
“We want to do anything we can to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on our students, and that includes easing the financial impact,” said Kelly Bruns, interim dean of the college. “Our students are always our No. 1 priority.”
NCTA students can receive CARES funds in one of two ways:
About three-fourths of the federal funds will be distributed to students via direct grants, based upon their demonstrated need as calculated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid previously submitted for the 2019-20 academic year. Students eligible for these funds will receive an email from the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid indicating that they qualify for this grant, and they will need to fill out a simple form indicating they were adversely financially impacted by COVID-19. Those grants will begin to be distributed by May 8.
The remaining funds will be distributed in the form of emergency grants to cover unexpected costs such as housing, food, technology, or health care that resulted from the pandemic. Students will receive an email indicating that they may qualify.
To apply for those funds, students should login to their MyNCTA portal and click on the financial aid tab, where they will find a link to an application. There is no deadline to apply for an emergency grant, but students are urged to apply as soon as possible because funds are limited. Eligibility will be determined based on guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and requests will be reviewed promptly.
For information, see https://ncta.unl.edu/scholarships-and-financial-aid-programs or leave a message for NCTA Financial Aid Coordinator Krista Williams at 308-367-5207.
Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in numerous competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.