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 $300 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.
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.
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 (336.334.5514) or email (deanofstudents@uncg.edu).