USU Re-Opened Emergency Hardship Fund for COVID-19 Response

Each year, the Division of Student Affairs at Utah State accepts applications from students to receive grant money from the Student Emergency Hardship Fund.

Utah State's Emergency Hardship Fund provides scholarships to students that have run into circumstances that otherwise lead to ending their educational pursuits at Utah State. This fund is one way the Division of Student Affairs works to fulfill its land-grant mission of providing access to quality higher education for deserving students from all walks of life.

Students are able to complete an application online for a variety of hardships they may be facing including, but not limited to, medical & health complications, homeless & housing complications, death of a family member, relationship complications, family health issues & disabilities, international complications, military benefits complications, and lack of family support. Scholarships can be applied to a variety of aspects of a student's financial commitments such as tuition and fees, textbooks, living expenses, groceries, medical and health expenses, and more. Individuals can find more information and apply for the Hardship Fund through USU's Division of Student Affairs webpage.

In 2020, Student Affairs closed the application and dispersed available funding by January 17. Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis in March, the application has been reopened and fundraising for the Student Emergency Hardship Fund is underway. With COVID-19, this fund is able to directly support students who were unprepared to meet urgent expenses, such as emergency travel and temporary housing. With COVID-19 here for a while, this fund provided support to students experiencing a variety of hardships due to extenuating circumstances related to the COVID-19 crisis.

“I would like to formally express my gratitude for the relief you have brought me with the COVID-19 Hardship Fund,” one recipient of the award said “The award has relieved a great deal of stress and pressure off of my shoulders. I have been able to focus my efforts on my job search, and I ended up securing a steady position for myself for the summer. I can’t express how much the funds helped me start to organize myself and my situation — the impact has already been amazing.”

Individuals seeking to assist others and support Utah State during the COVID-19 crisis are able to donate directly to the fund. In addition, the University encourages individuals to share the donation page with their networks and on their social media pages to assist the Division of Student Affairs in assisting students who face hardships.