Reminders about Reporting of CARES Act Aid in IPEDS

As a reminder, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) provided federal funds to many postsecondary institutions during the 2019-20 academic year. These funds need to be reported to IPEDS in the applicable survey components.

In the Student Financial Aid (SFA) component, the instructions indicate that CARES Act aid should be reported (as other federal grant aid) for students in Groups 1 and 2 of the form, but NOT in Groups 3 and 4 for those institutions that are reporting first-time, full-time undergraduate students.  All versions of the SFA now allow for revision of the total grant aid carried forward from Group 2 to Group 3 in order to accommodate the removal of CARES Act aid from Group 3.

In the Finance (F) component, the instructions for most institutions indicate that CARES Act funds should be reported as other federal grants in the Revenues section, and in the Scholarships and Fellowships section. For institutions that apply the aid to tuition/fees as a pass-through transaction, the aid is not reported in the Revenues section as federal grant revenue but it is still reported in the Scholarships and Fellowships section.

For additional information, please see the complete instructions and forms, which are available on the IPEDS website at: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/public/survey-materials/index