VCCS Emergency Assistance Program (EAP)

The Virginia Commonwealth Emergency Assistance Program (EAP) Fund provides short-term financial assistance to enrolled undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need who experience unforeseen emergencies that would disrupt progress to term completion or degree attainment. Emergency assistance funds must be directly related to an unforeseen circumstance or emergency and cannot supplant existing sources of funding.

Students can apply for emergency assistance funding only once per academic year.

Emergency assistance funds are not considered financial assistance and do not impact or reduce availability of other financial assistance. Emergency assistance funds are not restricted by any financial need, remaining need or return to title IV calculations.

*Examples of eligible emergency expenses include, but are not limited to: *

• Food
• Temporary housing (rent/utilities)
• Medical expenses/dental care/mental health related expenses
• Family emergency (visiting a sick family member; attendance at a funeral)
• Technology (replacement for a damaged/stolen item)
• Transportation (repairs to primary vehicle or temporary for-hire service)
• Child-care related to an emergency

If the emergency is the result of a job loss, students are encouraged to seek a Request for Review (R4R) from the Financial Aid Office before applying for emergency assistance funds. Go to laurelridge.edu/faforms to learn more about R4R.

Emergency Fund Eligibility

• Must be enrolled at Laurel Ridge during the term in which assistance is requested.
• Must meet satisfactory academic progress standards.
• Must have submitted a complete federal FAFSA or, if not eligible to file the FAFSA, the state VASA application. Recipients must be up to date with all institutional requests for documentation needed to complete the financial aid process.
• Must demonstrate student financial need, as defined by the Financial Aid Office.
• Students with demonstrated need must accept all offered student financial aid offered prior to applying for emergency assistance funding. The institution may require that the student apply for and accept subsidized federal student loans, either prior to or as a condition for being offered emergency assistance.

Students will be notified via their MyLaurelRidge Message Center. Please Note: The committee decision is final.