The CARES Act that Congress signed into law in March 2020 earmarked $2.2 trillion to aid Americans negatively impacted by the pandemic. Of those funds, approximately $14 billion was designated as the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, or HEERF. Then, in January 2021, the U.S. Department of Education announced an additional tranche of $21.2 billion to higher education. Most recently, in March, the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III, known as the American Rescue Plan, was signed into law, providing $39.6 billion in support to institutions of higher education to serve students and ensure learning continues during the pandemic. In total, since March 2020, higher education has received $74.8 billion dollars to remain operational and serve students, while also providing emergency aid to students impacted by COVID-19.
