Ya-Marie Sesay | Campus Editor
The Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) awarded Hampton University with an emergency aid grant for students that may have an unforeseen financial barrier that prevents them from continuing their college education.
The grant will provide a maximum of $500 to each eligible student over the course of the program. The program is for the Spring 2018 semester and hopes to support the persistence of students toward college graduation by removing unforeseen financial barriers.
In order to become eligible for the program, students must be enrolled in Hampton University as a full-time or part-time student receiving a certificate, associate or bachelor’s degree. Students must complete an application and upload documentation of financial need. The student may have an expense paid only once from the grant, and must be enrolled during the semester in which the aid is awarded.
The awarded aid may only be used for unexpected expenses to eligible students despite the amount of credit hours. It can be paid to third parties by the institution or through a gift card for students’ financial emergencies. Eligible expenses include utilities, housing/rent, food, medical/dental and more.
Eligible students may not use the emergency aid grant for school expenses such parking fines, books or required school supplies, and it may not be used to pay prior balances.
The ECMC will not fund the amount directly to the students and may not exceed the amount of need based on the documentation provided.
“I think it’s a great idea, especially after this summer where we saw a lot of our fellow students starting GoFundMe accounts trying to raise money for school,” said Alexis Harris. “Unfortunately unexpected emergency financial situations happen to us in life sometimes, and to have our school provide that support is amazing,” said Harris.
Students interested in applying for the grant can reach out to Dr. Barbara Inman at 757-727-5264 or via e-mail at barbara.inman@hamptonu.edu.
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