If you’re a student at UMass Amherst and an unexpected expense just derailed your budget, the university has an emergency fund built specifically to help you get through it.
How Much Money Can You Get?
The Student Care Emergency Fund offers microgrants of up to $500 per grant, with a lifetime cap of $1,000 across up to two grants during your time at the university.
The money doesn’t need to be repaid.
What Can the Money Cover?
This fund is meant for one-time emergencies, not regular monthly bills.
It explicitly does not cover tuition or ongoing living expenses.
Who Qualifies?
To be eligible, you need to be:
- Currently enrolled in classes (or maintaining continuous enrollment, for graduate students); AND
- Have remaining room in your Cost of Attendance according to your FAFSA; AND
- Have no outstanding balance with the University Bursar
Current or former foster youth should also know that additional resources beyond this fund may be available to them specifically.
How Do You Apply?
You submit a Microgrant Application form to the Dean of Students Office. The university recommends downloading the PDF form and saving it to your own device before filling it out, to help protect your personal information.
Relief Recap
This is exactly the kind of short-term, one-time emergency fund that can keep a single bad month from turning into a dropped semester. If you’re a low income student looking for more ways to fund your education, our master list of scholarships for low income students is a great next stop.
