Student Affairs | STUDENTS | Student Assistance Fund for Emergencies (SAFE)

Student Assistance Fund for Emergencies (SAFE)

The Student Assistance Fund for Emergencies (SAFE) is a non-cash emergency fund initiative set up to provide one-time emergency assistance to matriculating students with short-term unexpected and or unavoidable financial emergencies. Students are eligible for one-time funding up to $1,000 should an unusual circumstance arise, such as a natural or man-made disaster or pandemic, exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

    • Immediate and unexpected medication cost
    • Safety needs (i.e., changing a lock, sheltering needs)
    • Replacement of essential personal belongings due to fire, theft, or a natural disaster (computer, books, clothing or other essential belongings)
    • Sudden loss of the student’s primary residence due to domestic violence, family trauma, mental health issues, catastrophic events or uninhabitable conditions.
    • Assistance with travel costs related to a death or illness in their immediate family.
    • Sudden or unexpected food insecurity due to unforeseen circumstances
    • Payment of tuition, fees, health insurance, and study abroad costs
    • Non-essential utilities (i.e. cable), household, or furniture costs not related to damage or theft
    • Parking tickets
    • Costs associated with entertainment, recreation non-emergency travel, or other non-essential expenses
    • Previous debts to the University
    • Legal representation for a disciplinary proceeding
    • More than one emergency in an academic year
      • The student must have an immediate financial hardship resulting from a current emergency, accident, or other unexpected critical incidents.
      • The expense must be unexpected, unforeseen, and the urgent nature unavoidable.
      • The student must be enrolled in the current term, registered for at least one credit hour, and in good conduct standing at the University.
      • All other resources, including emergency loans and/or a financial aid readjustment through the Financial Aid Office, must have been considered and are insufficient, unavailable, or not available in a timely manner.
      • The student must complete questions in full and submit supporting documentation.
      • Only one approved emergency fund request per student will be granted per academic year.
      • Students who have received one-time emergency assistance within the academic year of enrollment may not be eligible for additional University assistance unless there are very unusual circumstances.
      • Students must have paid tuition to UNCG during the semester in which they submit a request for assistance.
      • Students whose immediate family members are a UNCG faculty or staff member such as a parent, sibling, spouse, or relative with whom they reside are not eligible for emergency assistance.

      Applicants must complete the SAFE Fund Application in its entirety and submit supporting documentation, where appropriate and possible. Applications that are not complete and do not have a student ID number provided will not be processed. Documentation may include but is not limited to, unemployment paperwork, proof of loss of a job, medical bills, bank statement, lease agreement with rent information, etc. Students MUST provide detailed reasoning on why their situation is extenuating. It is the expectation that all statements, information, and documentation provided are truthful and accurate at the time of application.

      All submissions MUST include a detailed explanation of your extenuating circumstances. This is required before any request can be considered for approval.

      You must include official documentation of the emergency circumstance and official documentation of the expenses you are requesting funds for as outlined in your statement of explanation. Submissions with no documentation will be automatically denied.

      • Rent: Lease agreement and a rent payment history (both including the name of the student on the paperwork)
      • Utilities: Current utility statements and a utility payment history (both including the name of the student on the paperwork)
      • Food: Written documentation of why the student is food insecure and why UNCG/Community resources are not meeting needs (Spartan Open Pantry, local food banks, food stamps).  A letter of support may be written as documentation from a coach, mentor, teacher, family member, etc.  A letter of support must also be provided from a coach, mentor, teacher, family member, etc. that explains why food resources are needed
      • Loss of Income: Letter from employer explaining employees’ status (as laid off, furloughed, loss of work hours, etc.) and pay stub history showing previous and current earnings.  The student must provide documentation of how the loss of income has impacted their financial status (i.e. bills that are unable to be paid, with documented bills attached to the application).
      • Loss of Items: Police report indicating what items were stolen/damaged and when and documentation of costs of replacement items
      • Prescriptions: Bill/quote from pharmacy showing student’s name on paperwork along with the prescription cost

      Complete the SAFE Application

        A review committee composed of representatives from the Deans of Students Office, Division of Student Success, Cashier’s Office, and Financial Aid will review all applications for the SAFE within 7-10 business days of application receipt. Eligibility requirements (noted above) will be reviewed, along with the level of need and availability of funds. The review committee will make a determination on whether the applicant qualifies and the appropriate funding amount to be awarded. Approved applicants will receive an email to their UNCG email address. Please note that the committee may not be able to fulfill all requests due to the availability of funds.

        For students awarded financial aid up to the Cost of Attendance for the current period, it is possible that your financial aid (usually a student or parent loan) will be reduced in order to award the SAFE Fund. The SAFE Fund amount will still be refunded in order to help with your immediate needs. However, the reduction in financial aid will create a charge on your student account that will need to be resolved at a later date.

        Any emergency funds awarded through SAFE will not be applied to a student’s University account balance. Funding will be disbursed via direct deposit. To verify direct deposit information is accurate and/or to enroll in direct deposit, the student should log in to the Student Account Center through the secure area of UNCGenie. Otherwise, the funds will be processed as a paper check and mailed to the student. The turnaround time for disbursement will be longer for funds disbursed via check.  

        The Dean of Students Office will have direct oversight of the SAFE, in collaboration with Financial Aid, the Cashier’s Office, and the Division of Student Success. 

        Submit an application to the SAFE. Please remember to complete the form in its entirety. Questions related to requests for SAFE can be directed to the Dean of Students Office via phone at 336.334.5514 or email at deanofstudents@uncg.edu. 

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