Murray State University is offering eligible students up to $1,500 dollars in grants to spend on food, housing and other expenses.
The initiative is funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act and other state universities in Kentucky have launched similar programs to help students impacted by the pandemic.
In a press release Monday, University officials said they would distribute $4.5 million for students to pay for costs including tuition, food, child care, housing and COVID-19 related expenses. Current students received awards last week. Incoming students will be notified of awards later this month.
“We are very grateful for these federal stimulus funds, and are pleased to be able to provide assistance to many of our students and their families,” President Bob Jackson said in a statement.
Other universities in Kentucky and across the country are also using American Rescue Plan Act funds to give grants directly to students as a part of $36 billion given to more than 5,000 higher education institutions to help ease impacts from the ongoing pandemic.
According to a Murray State report from June 30, the university had distributed $3,135,385 in emergency grants to 2,787 students. Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education states the American Rescue Plan Act requires higher education institutions to prioritize students “with exceptional need,” such as those who receive Pell Grants.
A university spokesperson said Murray State received additional American Rescue Plan Act money that will be used to forgive student debt. Nearly $1 million in student debt has already been forgiven by the university through money received from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, signed by former President Donald Trump last year.
Liam Niemeyer
Liam Niemeyer is a reporter for the Ohio Valley Resource covering agriculture and infrastructure in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia and also serves Assistant News Director at WKMS. He has reported for public radio stations across the country from Appalachia to Alaska, most recently as a reporter for WOUB Public Media in Athens, Ohio. He is a recent alumnus of Ohio University and enjoys playing tenor saxophone in various jazz groups.
