Rockland Community College has received federal funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to help students pay for tuition, fees, housing, food, utilities, books, course materials, technology, health care, and child care resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The We Care 3 Fund is made available to students through the ARP Higher Educational Emergency Relief Fund also known as HEERF 3.
The application period has closed for We Care 3 Funds.
Student Eligibility
Eligible RCC students are those who:
- Are currently attending including the academic terms Summer 2021 and Fall 2021, or
- Have ceased enrollment at RCC for any reason and at any point since the beginning of the national coronavirus emergency, March 13, 2020.
In the federal government’s third round of emergency COVID funding, all student types including U.S. citizens, permanent residents, asylum seekers, international students, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, DREAMers, and similar undocumented students are eligible for HEERF grants. Non-degree, non-matriculated, and dual enrollment students may also qualify for We Care 3 Funds. Students are eligible for We Care 3 Funds regardless of whether the student completed a FAFSA or is eligible for Title IV federal student aid.
Awarding Methodology
ARP requires that institutions prioritize awarding to students with exceptional need. To that end, RCC will use priority points within its We Care 3 Fund application to prioritize and customize awards to students with extraordinary financial circumstances.
Award Range
Each eligible applicant will have a base award of $500; additional $400 increments will be added to the base award for each priority point calculated in the student’s application. The application has seven questions that assess financial need; thus, the maximum award from the We Care 3 Fund application is $3,300.
Application Process
Students requesting We Care 3 Funds may make their requests known to the College by completing a simple online application. The College will review all requests on a rolling basis and provide awards on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are fully expended. Awards will be posted and paid through the student’s account using the TouchNet system. Within the application process, students may choose to direct funds to their RCC student account to assist with paying any outstanding tuition and fees.
Opt-In Process to Direct Award to Student Account
Students may instruct the College to direct their We Care 3 Fund award toward their student account to assist with paying their outstanding tuition and fees. Students who do not opt-in will have funds sent directly to them via their chosen refund method in TouchNet.
For additional information
For more information, contact [email protected] or call 845-574-4282.
View the ARP Campus Plan.
View the ARP Reporting page.