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Coronavirus

Carolina Student Impact Fund to help students affected by COVID-19

The fund will provide emergency support for various expenses, such as housing, food, travel and technology to students who are unable to meet the unexpected financial burdens resulting from the effects of the novel coronavirus.

The Old Well
(Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Carolina students facing financial hardships because of the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak can apply for assistance through the Carolina Student Impact Fund.

The fund helps students who budgeted carefully for the semester but are now facing unexpected financial challenges, such as the loss of an off-campus job because of layoffs, an unexpected trip home from campus or urgent supplies now that dining halls and residence halls are inaccessible to some students, said Rachelle Feldman, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid at Carolina.

“Carolina is, at its heart, its people, and that includes Tar Heels near and far,” Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said. “We know our students are coping with financial hardships and anxieties in these uncertain times and this fund will not only ease the burdens they face in the short term, but make a huge difference for them and their families in the long term.”

The fund will provide emergency support for various expenses on items such as housing, food, travel and technology to students who are unable to meet the unexpected financial burdens resulting from the effects of the novel coronavirus.

Undergraduate, graduate and professional students who need assistance should complete this request.

“We encourage any student who is facing financial hardship due to changes in teaching methods or moving out of the residence halls or facing any obstacle related to COVID-19 to contact us,” Feldman said. “We really care about each individual student and are doing our best to make the rest of the semester and their future as a Tar Heel successful to them.”

Already the fund has helped many students who needed to return from studies in places such as China, South Korea and Italy, Feldman said.

The Carolina Student Impact Fund is supported by private donors and was established to help students who are affected by natural disasters. Private giving makes a real and lasting impact in the lives of Carolina students.

“These are challenging times for us all, but especially for those without the financial means to weather this unprecedented global event,” said Renee and John Grisham, who made a generous contribution to support this effort. “We simply want to do our part and we are hoping others will join us to make sure our students have the resources and support to get through this.”