While potential relief for higher education in the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better plan continues to stall, the American Rescue Plan has delivered on its promise to get billions into the coffers of institutions over the past year.
The Department of Education noted that community colleges, which have been eliminated from any Build Back hopes, have received more than $10 billion through Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF), while Historically Black Colleges and Universities have gotten $2.7 billion from the federal government, with half of those funds going directly to students. Billions have been distributed to states and colleges since March 2021.
Montclair State University in New Jersey is one of many examples of institutions distributing funds to those in need, putting $13 million during February into the hands of students while also taking other monies and expanding student services and improving COVID-19 mitigation efforts such as filtration on campus. Penn State University, meanwhile, is giving more than $17 million from its HEERF III pool to students directly this spring to cover some of their expenses.
“Many of our students continue to experience financial hardship as a result of the pandemic, so we wanted to create an opportunity for any student to have access to relief funds should they be in need,” said Montclair Vice President for Enrollment Management Wendy Lin-Cook.
The White House released all of the final numbers from its transformative plan, which also included $11 billion to Hispanic-serving institutions and $190 million to Tribal Colleges and Universities. It also showed just how impactful the program has been, highlighting results of a recent study done by the American Council on Education which noted that:
- More than 60% of universities, like Montclair State, are using some part of the grants to improve their pandemic-related strategies
- More than two-thirds of colleges are protecting employees who otherwise might be facing job layoffs
- More than 80% of colleges are holding the line on tuition and fee costs
“Over 90 percent of our colleges have used this money to make sure our students have access and are not dropping out,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said during a press briefing while noting that distributions must be monitored closely. “(It’s important) that we’re also communicating with colleges, with districts, with states on how the money is being used.”
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Here is the breakdown of American Relief Plan distributions, as well as monies given to HBCUs, below:
STATE-BY-STATE ARP FUNDING
(With number of institutions in parentheses. Numbers are approximate.)
1. California (535): $5.3 billion ($2.1 billion to community colleges)
Texas (299): $3.4 billion ($1 billion to community colleges)
New York (395): $2.7 billion ($727 million to community colleges)
Florida (260): $2.4 billion ($163 million to community colleges)
Georgia (113): $1.4 billion ($268 million to community colleges)
Illinois (207): $1.3 billion ($529 million to community colleges)
North Carolina (144): $1.3 billion ($432 million to community colleges)
Pennsylvania (265): $1.3 billion ($287 million to community colleges)
Ohio (230): $1.2 billion ($305 million to community colleges)
Michigan (133): $ 1 billion ($303 million to community colleges)
Virginia (120): $948 million ($297 million to community colleges)
New Jersey (126): $936 million ($340 million to community colleges)
Tennessee (129): $819 million ($243 million to community colleges)
Alabama (70): $800 million ($301 million to community colleges)
Arizona (72): $716 million ($308 million to community colleges)
Indiana (88): $715 million ($157 million to community colleges)
Louisiana (89): $683 million ($196 million to community colleges)
Washington (88): $678 million ($114 million to community colleges)
Maryland (68): $650 million ($219 million to community colleges)
Massachusetts (137): $841 million ($206 million to community colleges)
Minnesota (90): $565 million ($234 million to community colleges)
Mississippi (48): $575 million ($270 million to community colleges)
Missouri (132): $668 million ($188 million to community colleges)
South Carolina (79): $601 million ($178 million to community colleges)
Wisconsin (76): $579 million ($181 million to community colleges)
Colorado (73): $516 million ($162 million to community colleges)
Utah (53): $506 million ($59 million to community colleges)
Kentucky (73): $486 million ($156 million to community colleges)
Oklahoma (90): $455 million ($153 million to community colleges)
Oregon (67): $415 million ($182 million to community colleges)
Arkansas (76): $406 million ($116 million to community colleges)
Connecticut (61): $377 million ($118 million to community colleges)
Iowa (75): $373 million ($148 million to community colleges)
Kansas (66): $346 million ($124 million to community colleges)
New Mexico (30): $245 million ($77 million to community colleges)
Nebraska (38): $217 million ($69 million to community colleges)
Nevada (23): $213 million ($19 million to community colleges)
West Virginia (65): $212 million ($39 million to community colleges)
Idaho (30): $207 million ($44 million to community colleges)
District of Columbia (19): $187 million
Rhode Island (16): $184 million ($40 million to community colleges)
New Hampshire (32): $166 million ($24 million to community colleges)
Hawaii (20): $141 million ($42 million to community colleges)
Maine (32): $125 million ($35 million to community colleges)
Delaware (15): $123 million ($35 million to community colleges)
Montana (27): $121 million ($31 million to community colleges)
North Dakota (23): $96 million ($24 million to community colleges)
South Dakota (26): $96 million ($19 million to community colleges)
Vermont (19): $66 million ($8 million to community colleges)
Wyoming (10): $44 million ($23 million to community colleges)
Alaska (9): $42 million
HBCU DISTRIBUTIONS
Alabama (13): $334 million
- Alabama A&M University: $60,120,210
- Alabama State University: $42,725,038
- Bishop State Community College: $34,271,512
- Lawson State Community College: $34,045,562
- Tuskegee University: $30,961,457
- Shelton State Community College: $29,004,331
- H. Councill Trenholm State Community College: $21,002,921
- Gadsden State Community College: $18,767,865
- Miles College: $18,102,234
- Talladega College: $14,112,105
- J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College: $11,584,720
- Oakwood University: $10,806,960
- Stillman College: $9,171,243
- Arkansas (4): $61 milion
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff: $25,138,852
- Shorter College: $13,019,110
- Philander Smith College: $11,774,144
- Arkansas Baptist College: $10,779,046
- California (1): $13 million
- Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science: $13,295,109
- Delaware (1): $36 million
- Delaware State University: $35,923,801
- District of Columbia (2): $88 million
- Howard University: $57,482,588
- University of the District of Columbia: $30,918,101
- Florida (4): $156 million
- Florida A&M University: $99,274,125
- Bethune Cookman University: $33,041,940
- Edward Waters College: $13,228,709
- Florida Memorial University: $10,641,947
- Georgia (8): $260 million
- Morehouse School of Medicine: $56,785,507
- Albany State University: $53,287,476
- Clark Atlanta University: $47,762,468
- Savannah State University: $41,412,308
- Fort Valley State University: $26,524,053
- Morehouse College: $15,541,496
- Spelman College: $13,786,698
- Paine College: $5,557,820
- Kentucky (2): $21 million
- Kentucky State University: $15,109,665
- Simmons College of Kentucky: $6,453,559
- Louisiana (6): Over $211 million
- Southern University and A&M College: $64,130,696
- Grambling State University: $48,074,370
- Southern University at New Orleans: $36,540,309
- Xavier University of Louisiana: $31,406,850
- Southern University at Shreveport Bossier City: $18,289,223
- Dillard University: $12,710,006
- Maryland (4): $153 million
- Morgan State University: $61,889,348
- Bowie State University: $44,408,346
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore: $26,844,541
- Coppin State University: $20,440,423
- Mississippi (7): $237 million
- Hinds Community College: $87,047,253
- Jackson State University: $60,437,863
- Alcorn State University: $33,482,855
- Mississippi Valley State University: $22,861,645
- Coahoma Community College: $19,112,009
- Rust College: $8,224,611
- Tougaloo College: $7,924,421
- Missouri (2): $38 million
- Harris Stowe State University: $20,222,823
- Lincoln University: $18,116,034
- North Carolina (10): $307 million
- North Carolina A&T State University: $93,092,139
- North Carolina Central University: $62,903,281
- WinstonSalem State University: $42,169,266
- Fayetteville State University: $41,559,265
- Elizabeth City State University: $15,779,156
- Johnson C Smith University: $14,375,251
- Livingstone College: $13,710,891
- Shaw University: $11,869,547
- Saint Augustine’s University: $8,065,614
- Bennett College: $4,068,757
- Ohio (2): $34 million
- Central State University: $25,880,482
- Wilberforce University: $8,123,992
- Oklahoma (1): $23 million
- Langston University: $23,093,393
- Pennsylvania (2): $25 million
- Lincoln University: $18,531,228
- Cheyney University of Pennsylvania: $6,928,018
- South Carolina (8): $112 million
- South Carolina State University: $24,839,400
- Benedict College: $22,424,080
- Claflin University: $21,574,206
- Allen University: $12,760,702
- Denmark Technical College: $8,529,645
- Morris College: $8,090,968
- Clinton College: $7,170,012
- Voorhees College: $6,553,949
- Tennessee (6): $133 million
- Tennessee State University: $58,594,818
- Meharry Medical College: $36,461,963
- Lane College: $15,156,158
- LeMoyne Owen College: $10,280,982
- Fisk University: $7,506,145
- American Baptist College: $5,682,740
- Texas (9): $304 million
- Texas Southern University: $90,104,029
- Prairie View A&M University: $84,101,911
- St Philip’s College: $70,663,484
- Texas College: $12,378,810
- Huston Tillotson University: $11,360,349
- Jarvis Christian College: $10,982,554
- Wiley College: $9,934,742
- Paul Quinn College: $8,089,525
- Southwestern Christian College: $6,085,111
- S. Virgin Islands (1): $12 million
- University of the Virgin Islands: $12,225,340
- Virginia (5): $141 million
- Norfolk State University: $52,248,428
- Virginia State University: $39,482,142
- Hampton University: $31,205,244
- Virginia Union University: $11,866,504
- Virginia University of Lynchburg: $6,322,150
- West Virginia (2): $28 million
- West Virginia State University: $16,998,872
- Bluefield State College: $11,074,452
