CGS members have responded to the COVID-19 by creating new resources and initiatives to support graduate students. Click here for a list of CGS member initiatives and examples submitted by the graduate education community.

The linked page includes resources and summaries on federal legislative and regulatory actions related to COVID-19 as well as CGS-supported requests to Congress and the Administration.

• Department of Education page on COVID-19
  • UPDATED Guidance for interruptions of study related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) (May 15, 2020) provides information that expands on the Department's March 5, 2020 and April 3, 2020 guidance.
  • UPDATED Additional Learning Information: Department’s final rules for Distance Learning and Innovation.
  • Office for Civil Rights posts Questions and Answers for Postsecondary Institutions Regarding the COVID-19 National Emergency including technical assistance for postsecondary institutions in meeting Federal civil rights laws.
  • UPDATED Department of Education publishes third FAQ guidance on the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund  
  • Office of Postsecondary Education publishes revised public reporting requirements for Higher Education Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides updated guidance and communication resources for Colleges and Universities to Plan, Prepare, and Respond to the coronavirus disease.
  • UPDATED Centers of Disease Control and Prevention guidance on Testing, Screening, and Outbreak Response for Institutions of Higher Education
• White House Office of Management and Budget issued a memo allowing federal funding agencies, including NIH, to provide continued flexibilities to research grant recipients impacted by COVID-19. The flexibilities allow grant money to cover operational and salary costs.
  • White House issues precautions for all individuals, including those on college campuses. 

International graduate students are among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. From issues with standardized testing to visas, the situation for international graduate students is continually evolving. Below is a list of resources to support international students as they navigate these challenging times:

• NAFSA covers who is and is not affected by the Trump Administration's April 22, 2020 proclamation limiting certain immigrants from entering the United States during the designated 60 day period. The original White House proclamation can be found here
• NAFSA maintains a hub of news and information on education abroad, international students and scholars, and regulatory information.
• Educational Testing Service (click here for GRE and here for TOEFL), Cambridge English, IELTS maintain web pages with updates to information for international English and GRE test takers.
• Department of Homeland Security provides FAQs for SEVP Stakeholders about the effects of COVID-19 and any additional SEVP adaptations in response to the pandemic for SEVP-certified schools and F and M students.
• USCIS updated Public Charge information to encourage all individuals, including immigrants seeking green card status, with symptoms that resemble COVID-19 to seek necessary medical treatment or preventive services. Such treatment or services will not negatively affect one’s future Public Charge analysis.
• Congressional Research Service published a report, Recovery Rebates and Unemployment Compensation under the CARES Act: Immigration-Related Eligibility Criteria
• U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS) Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Graduate student financial support remains a top priority for CGS and its members. Below is a list of resources on graduate student financial aid.

• IRS published FAQs: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund and Emergency Financial Aid Grants under the CARES Act covering how higher education institutions are to use Education Department funds to support students and institutions with expenses and financial needs related to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Century Foundation outlines how students can leverage the CARES Act Pandemic Unemployment Assistance through the Department of Labor summarizing how PUA differs from the traditional unemployment assistance program, what benefits are available, and which students qualify.
• Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education clarifies Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Reporting- Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students, the information institutions must report on their use of HEERF grants as mandated in the CARES Act.
• UPDATED Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid provides updated Coronavirus and Forbearance Info for Students, Borrowers, and Parents including Q&A on student loan payments, loan increases, distance learning, and agency and federal government responses.
• Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education clarifies Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Reporting- Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students, the information institutions must report on their use of HEERF grants as mandated in the CARES Act.
• Department of Education guidance on the CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. Federal Register posted the interim final rule on 6/17/20. Comments close 7/17/20.
• COVID-19 Title IV Frequently Asked Questions
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Institutional Portion of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students
• Department of Labor posted a press release on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.
• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) maintains information related to COVID-19 on their Today’s News page.
• Department of Education reopens the application period for institutions to apply for aid through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) through September 30.
• Department of Labor published a news release answering questions about eligibility for paid leave and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

Research opportunities are of key importance to CGS and its members. Compiled below are resources on grant funding for federal and COVID-19 related research grants.

• National Institutes of Health provides information for NIH Applicants and Recipients of NIH Funding.
• National Endowment of the Humanities awards $40.3 million in new CARES Act grants to support operations and preserve jobs at museums, archives, historic sites, and colleges and universities across the U.S. A complete list of all 317 new NEH CARES grants is available here.
• A coalition of arts grantmakers launched Artist Relief, unrestricted grants to help artists in need of financial support due to COVID-19.
• National Science Foundation is accepting proposals to conduct non-medical, non-clinical-care research that can be used to understand the spread of COVID-19.
• National Endowment for the Humanities announced new grant guidelines designed to rapidly distribute CARES Act funding to cultural nonprofits affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
• National Science Foundation announced the Impact on Existing Deadline Dates and extends deadline dates for the solicitations or Dear Colleague Letters (DCLs).
• Institute of Museum and Library Services announced New Stimulus Funding for Communities Across America to award the first $30 million of $50 million appropriated to the agency in the CARES Act. The grants will be distributed to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, and the Freely Associated States based on population.
• Council on Governmental Relations created FAQs and Resources on COVID-19's Impact to Federal Awards and continues to update a host of resources.
• Department of Education announces Formula Grants to Outlying Areas from the Education Stabilization Fund through the CARES Act for use in response to coronavirus. Outlying Areas of the United States refers to the US Virgin Islands (VI), Guam (GU), the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and American Samoa (AS).

• National Conference of State Legislatures: NCSL Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for States, including education.

• NACUBO offers COVID-19 Employer and Tax Resources summarizing tax credits and deferral programs, SBA low-interest loans for small employers including Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans, and other tax relief including options for international students.