Emergency Grants
Overview
Graduate students who experience an acute and unexpected short-term hardship may to apply for an emergency grant. Acute and unexpected hardships may include burial costs, fire damage, or auto repairs due to accident. This program is being administered by the Graduate College in accordance with applicable University rules and policies. Funding for the Emergency Grant program comes from the Student-to-Student fee that is assessed to graduate students in Fall and Spring Semesters. The fund itself is limited, and therefore, the following criteria have been established:
Applicants must be degree-seeking graduate students at UIC (classified as “2G”) for the term in which the hardship occurred. Undergraduate and professional students are not eligible for emergency grant funding from the Graduate College because emergency funding is supported by graduate student fees (i.e. students from the following degree programs are ineligible: DMD, DPT, JD, LLM, MBA, MPH, MD, MSW, DPharm, and MEng.
For spring 2025, please contact Benn Williams (bwilli7@uic.edu) with any questions concerning the Graduate College Emergency Grant, including the status of a submitted application.
Details
Eligibility
- Applicants must be degree-seeking graduate students at UIC (classified as “2G”) for the term in which the hardship occurred. Undergraduate and professional students are not eligible for emergency grant funding from the Graduate College because emergency funding is supported by graduate student fees (i.e. students from the following degree programs are ineligible: DMD, DPT, JD, LLM, MBA, MPH, MD, MSW, DPharm, and MEng.
- Applicants must be registered for a minimum of eight (8) semester hours, or three (3) hours in the summer, for the term in which the hardship occurred. The student must also apply for the funds in the term in which the hardship occurred, although applicants may submit their application into the next term if the timing of the event that caused the hardship necessitates such action.
- Emergency grants are funded by the Student-to-Student fee assessed to graduate students. The Graduate College receives a part of these funds to finance the emergency grant program. Funding of individual applications must, therefore, be limited, due to the resources available.
- Award decisions will be made based on the applicant’s individual situation, but amounts awarded are subject to limitations and the applicant may not receive the total amount requested. Grants are generally no more than $500. The approved amount will not be greater than the documented expense (e.g., amount for emergency dental procedure not covered by insurance). It is not within the scope of this grant to fund expected maintenance, even if not covered by insurance, unless there are other contributing circumstances.
- International students are eligible to apply. Their visa information must be up-to-date. Please confirm with OIS prior to submitting an application.
- The Emergency Grant application must be used and filled out completely before submission to the Graduate College. A signed explanation of the events that caused the acute and unexpected expenses, the reasons you believe your situation warrants the grant, and supporting documentation (e.g. doctor’s and insurance statement) must be included.
- Students must have a Social Security Number or TIN on file in Banner.
- We have been informed that students must establish Direct Deposit before submitting.
Student Financial Aid implications
- Grants awarded under this program are not subject to repayment and the amount of any awarded grant will be reported to the graduate student’s tax form 1098-T.
- The grant may be considered taxable income. Individuals should contact their tax professional to make a determination on whether or not this grant is taxable.
- Grants may affect federal loans: Students who receive an emergency grant may find that it impacts their existing financial aid (federal loans). Students should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid (money@uic.edu) or their specific Financial Aid counselor, cf. https://financialaid.uic.edu/faq/contact-us/.
Frequency
Students will be awarded at most one Emergency Grant within a twelve (12)-month period and are limited to TWO grants during their studies unless there are extremely extenuating circumstances. If students complete one program and begin a second graduate program, the emergency grant eligibility will restart with the second graduate program.
payments
Awarded grant money will be direct-deposited into the financial account (e.g. checking account) a student has established in the University student database.
Application
The application form should be completely filled out and signed before it is submitted to the Graduate College. In addition, any supporting documents should be attached to the application in one .pdf file. The Graduate College may contact you for additional information or clarifications.
Submit
Application and supporting documents must be merged into a single file and uploaded to the Box folder using the “Submit Here” icon below.
faqs
Q. Are all graduate students eligible to apply to the Emergency Grant?
A. All graduate students who are degree-seeking and who are currently registered for 8 or more hours (3 or more hours during Summer Session). The applicant to the grant will need to show that the current financial hardship is both unexpected and acute.
Q. After I apply for the Emergency Grant how soon will I know if I have received it?
A. You will be contacted by email only if the application is incomplete or additional information is required.
Q. If my request for an Emergency Grant is approved, how will the grant money reach me?
A. The payment is disbursed into the direct deposit account you have on file with the university. The grant is treated as financial aid and may reduce your other aid if you have already received your max in aid for the year. You will be contacted by email if receiving the grant will impact your financial aid.
Q. If approved, when will I receive the funds?
A. Students who are U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents typically receive the funds within two weeks. Students who are Foreign Nationals, Non-Resident Aliens, or undocumented can take up to 6 weeks to receive the funds.
Q. Is this process completely automated?
A. No, these transactions are processed manually by the Graduate College in conjunction with the Office of Financial Aid, Payroll, and the Bursar’s Office.