Reskilling grants provide educational support to students affected by COVID-19

Governor's Emergency Educational Relief Fund

Reskilling grants provide educational support to students affected by COVID-19

Midwestern State University received $112,500 as part of the Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program during the first round of awards, announced earlier this month. Funds from the grant program will be used to help cover the costs of tuition and fees for Texas students who were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and who wish to return to school.

“The Reskilling Grant Program is a wonderful opportunity to assist qualified students who have had a disruption in their educational pursuits,” said Fred Dietz, Vice President for Enrollment Management at MSU Texas. “The grants will range from $500-$2,500 depending on a student’s eligibility.”

The Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program is a $46.5 million fund established to provide essential emergency educational support. It also will support displaced Texas workers who need to reskill or upskill to get back into the workforce and Texas students who have previously stopped out of higher education institutions without completing a postsecondary credential.The grants allow institutions to provide financial assistance to Texas students through coverage of student tuition and fees and to support students who are near completion of their postsecondary credential and re-enrolling to that credential.

To be eligible, students must:

Be a Texas resident eligible for in-state tuition as determined by the institution;

Have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA);

Have a financial need and be eligible for federal Title IV aid;

Have affirmed they were affected by COVID-19;

Enroll in an eligible undergraduate program;

Have not been enrolled in an accredited postsecondary institution in the previous academic (long) semester or previous six months; AND

Be within 12 months of completing their credential program.

The Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program stems from the allocation of $175 million provided to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board from the Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief (GEER) Fund. GEER dollars, in turn, originate from the U.S. Department of Education’s administration of the Education Stabilization Fund in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.

A second round of Reskilling Grants will be awarded to institutions through a competitive process.

For more information, visit the Texas Reskilling Grant Program webpage at MSUTexas.edu.