Rep. Connolly reports $948 million+ in American Rescue Plan funds for higher education in Virginia

Congressman Gerry Connolly (VA-11) reports that the U.S. Department of Education announced that colleges and universities in Virginia have received $948 million+ in American Rescue Plan funds over the past year – one of the largest one-time investments ever provided to our colleges and universities. These funds, including nearly $150 million for institutionsin Virginia’s 11th District, were provided through the American Rescue Plan’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF).

Connolly said in a news release that he is “pushing to ensure these funds help make colleges more affordable. The American Rescue Plan requires half of the money to be used to provide direct financial relief to students, but the Department of Education expects far more will ultimately be used for that purpose.”

These investments are already having a significant impact on institutions and students, the Congressman said. A recent survey of college presidents by the American Council on Education found that HEERF assistance enabled:
• 93% of colleges will provide direct financial support to students at risk of dropping out
• 81% of colleges will keep student net prices close to pre-pandemic levels
• 70% of colleges will continue to employ faculty, staff, and other employees otherwise at risk of unemployment
• 63% of colleges will keep students and faculty safe by purchasing COVID-19 tests, health screenings, and health care

Here’s how these critical dollars were allocated across the Commonwealth, according to Connolly:

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES:
George Mason University: $64,020,261
Virginia Commonwealth University: $57,078,300
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University: $49,692,797
Old Dominion University: $48,294,073

COMMUNITY COLLEGES:
Northern Virginia Community College: $83,561,195
Tidewater Community College: $48,108,665
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College: $17,153,920
Thomas Nelson Community College: $15,845,977
John Tyler Community College: $15,033,203

HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES:
Norfolk State University: $52,248,428
Virginia State University: $39,482,142
Hampton University: $31,205,244
Virginia Union University: $11,866,504
Virginia University of Lynchburg: $6,322,150

Overall, this funding is vital to allowing Virginia institutions of higher learning to fully recover from the impacts of COVID-19, and to ensuring students across Virginia can access the higher education they deserve, Connolly concluded.