Student Emergency Aid

The Alamo Colleges has received federal emergency funding for students from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the CARES Act, the CRRSAA, and the ARP Act.

All three allocations will help Alamo Colleges’ students deal with the financial burden caused by the COVID-19 crisis and assist with the costs of attending college.

Based on the guidance and criteria provided by the US Department of Education, full or part-time students can apply. This includes those enrolled in academic courses, credit or no-credit bearing courses, dual enrollment courses, or continuing education courses.

Please see the eligibility section above for more details.

Emergency financial aid grants may be used for any component of your cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as textbooks, tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care.

You determine how to use your emergency financial aid grant within the allowable uses.

Follow these steps:

• Log into the ACES portal using your Username and Password
• Select the ‘Student’ option from the sidebar menu
• Select the ‘Web Services’ link
• Select the ‘Financial Aid’ tab
• Click on ‘Federal Emergency Assistance Application’ from the list of options
• This will open an Adobe Sign page
• Follow the prompts to complete the application

The Alamo Colleges will work diligently to award emergency grants as soon as possible after receipt of a student’s application.

Any amount awarded will be visible on your student account summary (bill) via ACES within 48 hours of approval.

To view your student account summary, follow these steps:

1. Log into ACES
2. Select ‘Student’ from the menu along the left
3. Select on ‘Web Services’
4. Select on ‘Student’
5. Select on ‘Student Account’
6. Select on ‘Account Summary’
7. Locate your award and amount

PLEASE NOTE: The amount awarded will NOT show up under your Financial Aid awards in ACES – it will only be visible on your bill.

Please allow up to 2 weeks for your application to be processed and for an email to be sent to your ACES student email with status. The amount awarded may be more or less than the amount requested. Please budget accordingly.

If awarded a grant it, it can be processed as a refund to you based on your selection in ECSI.

Grants can be processed as:

• Direct deposit to your existing bank account on file with ECSI, or
• If not signed up for direct deposit, a check will be mailed to your current address on file in ACES.

A grant can also be used towards paying current or future tuition or unpaid balances at the college.

For more information on refund options, visit the ECSI's website or phone toll-free at 1-844-760-6052.

Awarding of grant funds will be made on a case-by-case basis. Several factors will be considered in awarding grants.

The amount of a grant will be determined based on the number of applications received, availability of funds, and the specific needs presented in the application.

Alamo Colleges cannot guarantee that all applicants will be selected for funding or that they will receive the full amount of their request.

Under the new guidance from CRRSAA and ARP, a student can affirmatively elect to use their student emergency aid towards payment of any unpaid balances owed to the Alamo Colleges.

No. This grant will not be used in calculating your current or future financial aid awards.

If a student doesn’t qualify for CARES Act Emergency Aid, they may qualify for other aid, including the COVID-19 Student Impact Aid Fund and assistance from the colleges’ Advocacy Centers.

To apply for other available emergency assistance please contact the Student Advocacy Center at the Alamo Colleges Helpline, 210-486-1111.

Operating Hours for the Helpline are:

Monday – Friday:
8:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M.

Award amounts depend upon the availability of funds.

Due to this, we are not currently processing applications for a future semester. If funds remain once a future semester begins, we encourage you to apply at that time.

Remember, you can apply for emergency funds multiple times.