HEERF

HEERF grants are funds provided by the federal government for distribution to eligible students to pay for education and/or emergency costs that arise or have arisen due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or childcare.

Duke distributed HEERF grants to eligible students in spring 2021, and will distribute an additional round of grants to students beginning in December 2021.

UPDATE: As of January 2022, Duke has expanded the eligibility for HEERF funding to include students with Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) between $15,000 and $25,000. These students will be notified in DukeHub and must complete the HEERF funding task in DukeHub by February 14, 2022, in order to receive funds.

Update 2/25/2022: In accordance with guidance from the Department of Education to prioritize undergraduate students whose financial circumstances would render them eligible to receive a federal Pell grant, these students will receive an additional distribution of $800 per student in February of 2022.

For grants awarded beginning in or after December 2021 and subject to availability of funds on a first-come, first-served basis:

Undergraduate students whose Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) would make them eligible to receive a Pell Grant will receive one HEERF grant each in the amount of $3,000. Other undergraduates and graduate and professional students with Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) equal to or less than $15,000, will receive one HEERF grant each in the amount of $1,750.

If additional funds set aside for student grants by the U.S. Department of Education remain available after the deadline, a subsequent distribution will be completed.

Yes, students who previously received funds through the HEERF program in the spring of 2021 can receive an additional grant if they meet the eligibility requirements for this round of grants.

No. This grant is separate from and has no impact on your federal student financial aid eligibility, current support, or any other federal or Duke grants or aid that you may have received. 

UPDATE: As of January 2022, Duke has expanded the eligibility for HEERF funding to include students with Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) between $15,000 and $25,000. These students will be notified in DukeHub and must complete the HEERF funding task in DukeHub by February 14, 2022, in order to receive funds.

Update 2/25/2022: In accordance with guidance from the Department of Education to prioritize undergraduate students whose financial circumstances would render them eligible to receive a federal Pell grant, these students will receive an additional distribution of $800 per student in February of 2022.

HEERF grants are available to current domestic students (which includes citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylum seekers, DACA recipients, other DREAMers, and similar undocumented students) who:

• Have a 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file with a federal Expected Family Contribution (EFC) at or below $15,000
  OR
• In the case of DACA recipients, other DREAMers, and similar undocumented students, a 2021-2022 CSS Profile on file with EFC of at or below $15,000

Eligible students will be assigned the HEERF Funding task in DukeHUB to complete in order to receive their grant.

Students who are eligible to receive federal financial aid but do not have a 2021-2022 FAFSA on file may complete one – see below for more information and deadlines.

Consistent with the law and U.S. Department of Education guidance, Duke is prioritizing students with exceptional need (such as students who receive Pell Grants), domestic students (including citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylum seekers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients, other DREAMers, and similar undocumented students), and undergraduate students.

The grant is not conditioned on continued or future enrollment and will be provided to you directly (not posted to your student account).  

Yes. Eligible students will receive a message in the DukeHUB message center inviting them to complete the attestation. The attestation will be listed as “HEERF Funding” in the tasks section of DukeHUB.

In addition, all students have received a message in DukeHUB notifying them of Duke’s planned distribution of HEERF grants. Students who do not have a FAFSA or CSS profile on file have the opportunity to complete one.  All students have also received notification of the opportunity to request a financial aid adjustment (professional judgment) based on changes to their financial circumstances.

Students without a current FAFSA on file may complete a 2021-2022 FAFSA by going to fafsa.ed.gov. Be sure to select the 2021-2022 FAFSA (this may not be the default).

DACA recipients, DREAMers, and similar undocumented students may file the CSS Profile in lieu of a FAFSA. Contact your financial aid office for information on how to begin the application process.

You must submit to Duke a valid FAFSA or CSS Profile by December 13 to be considered for a HEERF grant.

Yes, if you meet all of the eligibility criteria. Many graduate students with grant funding do not have a current FAFSA on file, so you might want to consider completing one online before the December 13 deadline if you think your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) could be $15,000 or less.

Yes. HEERF grants are unrelated to any other aid programs (public or private). All eligible students are encouraged to complete the steps to receive a HEERF grant.

If you have a 2021-22 FAFSA on file already, follow these steps:

1. You will receive a message in DukeHub notifying you of your eligibility if you have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) at or below $15,000.
2. After receiving the email, go to Dukehub.duke.edu and complete the tasks assigned to you. They will be listed as “HEERF Funding” in the tasks section of DukeHub.

UPDATE: As of January 2022, Duke has expanded the eligibility for HEERF funding to include students with Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) between $15,000 and $25,000. These students will be notified in DukeHub and must complete the HEERF funding task in DukeHub by February 14, 2022, in order to receive funds.

Update 2/25/2022: In accordance with guidance from the Department of Education to prioritize undergraduate students whose financial circumstances would render them eligible to receive a federal Pell grant, these students will receive an additional distribution of $800 per student in February of 2022.

If you have a 2021-22 FAFSA on file already with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of more than $15,000 but experienced significant changes (including, without limitation, employment loss) and would like to determine if a professional judgment/financial aid adjustment may be helpful for you, please contact your financial aid office as soon as feasible. See contact information here.

If you do not have a 2021-22 FAFSA on file, follow these steps:

1. Complete a 2021-22 FAFSA online by going to fafsa.ed.gov.
2. You will receive a message in DukeHub notifying you of your eligibility if you have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) at or below $15,000.

After receiving the message, go to Dukehub.duke.edu and complete the tasks assigned to you. They will be listed as “HEERF Funding” in the tasks section of DukeHub.

Completing the FAFSA could take up to an hour.

• Be sure to choose the 2021-2022 FAFSA application (this may not be the default, so select carefully).
• If you’ve never completed a FAFSA before, you’ll be asked to take additional steps to create an FSA ID and password to begin.
• You will have the option to import your data from the IRS – this will be a faster and potentially more accurate option.
• Upon completion you will see confirmation of your EFC.
• You will qualify for the HEERF Grant if your EFC is $15,000 or less. Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until the University’s total allocation is exhausted. To receive funds, you will need to complete the DukeHUB tasks and the attestation.

DACA recipients, DREAMers, and similar undocumented students may file the CSS Profile in lieu of a FAFSA. Contact your financial aid office for information on how to begin the application process.

You are encouraged to complete a FAFSA or CSS Profile as soon as possible because you must have an aid application on file by December 13, 2021 to be considered for the HEERF grant. Students must complete the attestation by January 2 to receive payment for this round of funding.

Students seeking a professional judgement/financial aid adjustment for purposes of qualifying for a HEERF grant [to be disbursed in January 2021] must upload any documents requested by the aid offices by December 23, 2021. Secure document upload will be available through DukeHUB once your aid administrator has determined if a professional judgment may be appropriate. See the section on professional judgment for more information. 

The deadline is December 13, 2021.

To be considered for a HEERF grant, students must have a valid FAFSA on file with Duke by December 13, 2021. DACA recipients, DREAMers, and other similar undocumented students may use the CSS Profile in lieu of the FAFSA application, and in these cases, the CSS Profile must be received by Duke by December 13, 2021.

Students with EFCs of $15,000 or less will receive a message in DukeHub and will be instructed to complete the “HEERF Funding” task in DukeHub by January 2, 2022 to receive payment later in January.  

Submitted FAFSAs and attestations will be reviewed as they are received and grants will be distributed directly to students.

UPDATE: As of January 2022, Duke has expanded the eligibility for HEERF funding to include students with Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) between $15,000 and $25,000. These students will be notified in DukeHub and must complete the HEERF funding task in DukeHub by February 14, 2022, in order to receive funds.

Update 2/25/2022: In accordance with guidance from the Department of Education to prioritize undergraduate students whose financial circumstances would render them eligible to receive a federal Pell grant, these students will receive an additional distribution of $800 per student in February of 2022.

Eligible students who completed the attestation in the “HEERF Funding” task in DukeHub prior to December 1, 2021, should expect to receive payment in early December of 2021. Those completing the DukeHub task after December 1 should expect to receive payment in January. As a reminder, all grants are on a first-come, first-served basis and subject to availability of HEERF grant funds allocated for the purpose of student emergency grants.

UPDATE: As of January 2022, Duke has expanded the eligibility for HEERF funding to include students with Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) between $15,000 and $25,000. These students will be notified in DukeHub and must complete the HEERF funding task in DukeHub by February 14, 2022, in order to receive funds. Funds will be distributed by the end of February 2022.

Update 2/25/2022: In accordance with guidance from the Department of Education to prioritize undergraduate students whose financial circumstances would render them eligible to receive a federal Pell grant, these students will receive an additional distribution of $800 per student in February of 2022.

The fastest and most secure way to receive the funds is by direct deposit to your bank account. Direct deposits can be made to any U.S. financial institution where you have a checking or savings account. All students should confirm that their direct deposit information is up to date in the Financials section of DukeHub.

If no direct deposit information is available, a check will be mailed to the address on file in DukeHub.

Students receiving their grant via direct deposit will receive an email notification when their payment has been issued.

The EFC is a calculation within the aid application based on an applicant’s financial and household information. It is an index number used to determine eligibility for financial aid, and the FAFSA displays this number upon completion.  Duke students with a FAFSA EFC at or below $15,000 are eligible to receive the HEERF grant if they complete the HEERF Funding task in DukeHub. Additionally, DACA recipients, DREAMers, or similar undocumented students may use the CSS Profile to determine if they have a qualifying EFC of $15,000 or less.

UPDATE: As of January 2022, Duke has expanded the eligibility for HEERF funding to include students with Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) between $15,000 and $25,000. These students will be notified in DukeHub and must complete the HEERF funding task in DukeHub by February 14, 2022, in order to receive funds.

Update 2/25/2022: In accordance with guidance from the Department of Education to prioritize undergraduate students whose financial circumstances would render them eligible to receive a federal Pell grant, these students will receive an additional distribution of $800 per student in February of 2022.

When there are unusual situations or circumstances that impact your federal student aid eligibility, federal regulations give a financial aid administrator discretion or professional judgment on a case-by-case basis and with adequate documentation to make adjustments to the data elements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form in order to gain a more accurate assessment of your family's ability to contribute to your cost of education. These adjustments may impact your Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

If you have circumstances that may impact your eligibility, including, without limitation, loss of employment, you are encouraged to contact your financial aid office for information and next steps. Your financial aid office will be able to help you determine if a professional judgment may be helpful for you. See the contact list below to find the appropriate financial aid contact:

Students seeking a professional judgment/financial aid adjustment in order to be considered for eligibility for a HEERF grant must upload any documents requested by the aid offices by December 23, 2021.* Secure document upload will be available through DukeHub once your aid administrator has determined if a professional judgment may be appropriate.

Note for students scheduled to graduate in December: Professional judgments can be issued only while a student is enrolled. Both the request for a professional judgment and the documentation required by the aid offices must be received by December 1 from any student scheduled to graduate in December. Contact your aid office with any questions.

While specific questions related to individual eligibility or financial aid circumstances should be directed to your school or program’s financial aid office, all general inquiries should be directed to:

For students seeking a professional judgement/adjustment, contact the appropriate aid office below.