Providing Emergency Aid to College Students in a Time of Crisis

The U.S. Department of Education is currently providing more than $6 billion for colleges to disburse directly to students as flexible emergency aid under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. At the same time, other public and private funds are becoming available to assist students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This Issue Focus highlights lessons from prior evaluations of emergency aid programs to help colleges identify students in need and allocate resources equitably, with the goal of enabling their students to navigate the current crisis and ultimately succeed in college and beyond.