Emerson students can now apply for further financial relief from the pandemic after the college announced Monday it had received a second round of emergency federal aid from the Department of Education. 

The college opened applications for new emergency grants on Monday, the Director of Financial Aid Angela Grant said. The grant comes as part of a wide-reaching federal aid package allocating $20.5 billion in emergency funds to institutions of higher education, of which Emerson received $3.9 million. 

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, signed into law in December, further stipulates that a minimum of $1.3 million of the funds should go towards individual student aid. That figure is the same as the amount allotted by the CARES Act in spring of 2020, though Emerson received only $2.7 million during that round of emergency aid.

As of Dec. 31, 854 Emerson students received aid from the college through the CARES Act.

In lieu of the Department of Education’s as-yet-unpublished guidelines for CRRSAA eligibility, Grant directed students to its requirements for CARES Act eligibility. She noted, however, that all students enrolled in online or in-person coursework are able to apply.