The CARES Act, which was signed into law last March, earmarked about $14 billion in relief aid for colleges, about $6.3 billion of which was set aside for grants for students disadvantaged by the pandemic.
The department under former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos initially did not impose conditions on which students could receive those grants. But she later announced they would be restricted to those who were eligible to receive federal student aid, cutting out international and unauthorized immigrant students. This decision drew legal challenges. Lawsuits in a couple of states successfully carved out exceptions for the grants to be used for those students.
