Emergency funds available for OCTC students impacted by COVID-19
Owensboro, KY (05/12/2020) — Eligible students attending Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) were sent information about how to request emergency funds for education-related expenses created by COVID-19.
The funding is available through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed by Congress on March 27. OCTC received $894, 862 designated as emergency financial aid to go directly to students.
The CARES Act provides assistance to college students, who beginning on March 13, 2020, experienced hardships caused by COVID-19 related to:
- Housing
- Childcare
- Medical Care
- Course materials/Technology
- Extended program length (to accommodate clinicals/labs)
- Food Insecurity (due to shutdown of college food pantries)
OCTC, in accordance with guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), will make CARES Act funds available to students who would otherwise qualify for federal financial aid as confirmed by a FAFSA filed for 2019-20.
Based on ED requirements, applicants must be current OCTC students who are eligible for Title IV financial aid and have experienced hardships created by disruption of campus operations and COVID-19. They must complete a request form and upload it to OCTC's Financial Aid Office as soon as possible.
OCTC has an application review committee that will prioritize aid by financial need as the ED has outlined. In addition to following ED guidance, the KCTCS plan follows guidance from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA.)
Students who have questions or need help should contact OCTC's Financial Aid Office, octc.financialaid@kctcs.edu. Completion of the request form is not a guarantee of funding. For more information please visit https://owensboro.kctcs.edu/affording-college/cares-grant-q-a.aspx.
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Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.
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The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.
Connect with OCTC: Owensboro.kctcs | Facebook.com/owensboroctc | Twitter@OCTC_Tweets | Instagram OwensboroCTC