UNC Asheville (Photo: https://new.unca.edu/)
College students impacted by Hurricane Helene are now eligible for additional financial aid, the UNC System said Tuesday.
Students who are North Carolina residents, and are either from the impacted counties or attend school at a campus in those counties, are eligible for additional grant money if their family income is below $80,000. The additional aid will be “an average of $850,” the university said.
Those impacted campuses include Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Western Carolina University. Students receiving financial aid at impacted community colleges are also eligible for a one-time increase.
“Many students had to evacuate, make an additional trip home or deal with other expenses related to the storm,” said Andrea Poole, executive director of the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. “This extra funding should help keep students on track as they navigate the aftermath of Helene and continue to work toward graduation.”
North Carolina lawmakers allocated more than $25 million for community colleges and UNC System schools as part of a $600 million relief package last week. It includes $5 million for tuition grants at UNC-Asheville and $5 million in emergency grants for UNC System students. More than 20,000 students are expected to benefit from the money, UNC System officials say.
“Helene has done enough damage already,” UNC System President Peter Hans said in a news release. “We can’t let this tragic storm undermine the progress our students have made.”
Repairs and recovery across the system’s western campuses will total $32 million, officials said earlier this month. And the university lost an estimated $19 million in revenue, a number that could increase after spring enrollment.