Expenses Covered by the Fund

Examples of emergency expenses to be considered include, but are not limited to:

Medications and other costs related to emergency medical care

Overdue utility bills reaching a turn-off notice

Homelessness, sudden loss of housing, or imminent eviction

Safety needs (i.e. changing a lock)

Replacement of essential personal belongings or temporary housing needs, due to fire, theft, or natural disaster

Travel costs related to a death or illness in the immediate family

Loss of childcare

Up to $600 may be requested

Expenses Not Covered by the Fund

Tuition, fees, health insurance, and study abroad costs

Non-essential personal bills such as: current utility, credit card, cable, cell phone, etc.

Parking tickets, library fines, or other expenses mistakenly incurred

Funds for the replacement of lost or stolen items

Eligibility Requirements

Any Pitt student may apply for emergency funds. Each applicant must meet the following criteria:

Demonstrate financial hardship

Experience an emergency, accident, illness, or other unforeseen event among the “covered” examples above

Was enrolled as a full-time or part-time, degree-seeking student for the 2020 summer term or is currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program in the 2020 fall term.

Applicants must complete all questions in full and submit a justification and supporting documentation as the situation allows. Examples of supporting documentation include but are not limited to:

Eviction notice

Utility bills indicating shut-off notice

Medical bills

Childcare facility closing notices

Documentation in support of request is required for application review. Applications without sufficient documentation may cause delay in review.

Students with non-emergent financial hardships that do not qualify for the Student Emergency Assistance Fund, including student account balances, are encouraged to contact the Office of Financial Aid directly to discuss their situation and talk about possible aid options.

Application Process

Questions may be directed to emergencyfund@pitt.edu.

Completed applications are reviewed by members of the Student Emergency Assistance Fund Advisory Committee that includes representatives from Student Affairs and the Office of Financial Aid. A member of the committee will respond to emergency application submissions within 1 week, or 5-7 business days.

The maximum emergency aid allocation to a student will be $600. Each application is carefully reviewed to ensure all other financial aid resources are maximized first. Payment will be distributed as soon as possible consistent with University policies and procedures. Disbursement time is typically 3-5 days after notification of an award.

Students should set up direct deposit in PittPAY

How Do I Sign Up for Direct Deposit (eRefunds)?

Log onto PittPAY from the Student PittPay Login at payments.pitt.edu. Select the eRefund tab. Enter your bank routing and account information Once you save the information, you will receive a confirmation email from PittPAY.

Students should be aware that emergency funding may create a taxable event that could require reporting to the IRS by the recipient.

Appeal Process

Students may re-apply to the fund 14 days after their original request if their request was denied and their circumstances have changed. In addition to re-submitting the application, students must provide additional details and documentation to augment the original request.

If a student is approved for funding, they may not apply again. The emergency funding is a one-time offer.