MIAMI — When Sebastian Ordonez, a University of Miami senior majoring in finance, received a $2,500 check in the mail recently signed by a University of Miami official, he was confused.
“I wasn’t really sure what it was for, but I deposited it straight away,” he said.
Like Ordonez, 27, every one of the more than 17,000 current undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the Coral Gables private university recently received a check from the school ranging from $200 to $2,500.
The funds came from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III under the American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021, said John Haller, UM’s vice president for enrollment management. The $1.9 trillion law allocated $39 billion to colleges and universities across the country during the pandemic.
In South Florida, UM received $21,291,392 while its public counterpart, Florida International University, received $120,768,382., according to a database of higher education grant recipients under the American Rescue Plan Act. Miami Dade College, one of the largest colleges in the country, received $175,596,703.
“The University of Miami distributed American Rescue Plan Act funding to all students in an equitable manner, prioritizing those with financial need,” Haller said in a written emailed statement.
UM did not disclose the calculations it used to determine how much each student received, but in total, as per the mandates of the act, the school had to set aside a minimum of $10,655,918 of the $21 million it received for student aid.
This is the second time UM has disbursed money to students. In March 2020, the university allowed students to request financial aid from the $8 million it received from the first COVID relief package, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, signed into law in March 2020.
“The University will receive and distribute funds to University of Miami students who have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” UM announced in a May 6, 2020, email to the student body. “These emergency funds will be distributed to students who have incurred expenses due to the disruption of campus operations.”
Under the terms of the initial email, students who wished to receive money had to have filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), be a U.S. resident and have met certain academic standards. Those who met the standards could apply for funds online.
In the fall, UM simply disbursed the funds to everyone enrolled in the university, which includes about 11,000 undergraduates and 6,400 graduate students. On Oct. 15, 2021, the university sent an email to all students announcing it would deliver funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to everyone, no later than Oct. 30.
Chase Bertoldo, a senior majoring in economics at UM, said he had figured the $200 check was related to a refund from his health insurance policy.
“I have no idea why I received the money, but I intend to just put it toward my living expenses,” said Bertoldo, 22. Unaware that others had received larger checks, Bertoldo figured the checks were need-based. Nonetheless, he says, “I would have taken a couple grand.”
Other students put the money toward more entertaining endeavors.
“I used it for my birthday party,” said Letizia La Sorte, an exchange student from Italy who received a check for around $200. “I didn’t have any extra money for the party, so it was great.”
