Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2021
Dear Georgetown University Junior and Senior Students,
Georgetown University aims to support and promote a healthy living and learning community in which all students can thrive. Ensuring that all students living in on-campus housing have access to campus dining facilities is a best practice employed widely across institutions of higher education to address access to healthy food options and community building. While meal plans are available to all students and built into financial aid packages that cover the full cost of attendance for students with financial need, we recognize you may have been affected by our June announcement requiring juniors and seniors living on campus to hold a meal plan providing a minimum of fourteen and seven meals per week, respectively.
In this year of transition and implementation of a revised meal plan, Georgetown University is offering those impacted by the new meal plan requirement (on-campus residential Juniors and Seniors) the opportunity to apply for additional financial assistance.
Assistance will be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the need expressed by the individual student. We’d ask that students who have had a financial need created by Georgetown’s new meal plan requirement to complete this Google form. After completing this form, a University representative may reach out to you to discuss your request if needed.
Applications for this one-time financial assistance program will be accepted on a rolling basis through December 1, 2021. We will begin reviewing applications the week of October 25th and expect to begin issuing financial assistance awards as of the week of November 8. Awards will be issued on a bi-weekly basis.
Please note the following information about this new financial assistance program:
- This new, temporary assistance program is intended for juniors and seniors, as these were the students whose meal plan requirements have changed in the 2021-22 Academic Year. Please note that backup documentation may be required as a part of your application. A University representative will let you know if more details are needed for your application. If there is documentation you would like to provide proactively, there is an opportunity to do so in the Google form.
- In determining the amount of the financial assistance that may be provided, we may consider your expected family contribution (EFC), the unique circumstances detailed within the request form, and other relevant information you provide through the Google form.
- Students issued a one-time award will not need to request a refund or take any other action for the payment to be made, nor will the grant be offset by any outstanding balance on your student account. However, to ensure funds reach students’ bank accounts as timely as possible, we urge students applying for assistance to create or update your electronic refund profile by logging into MyAccess, navigating to Student Account Services and then clicking on the Refunds link in the top menu bar.
- One-time awards paid to students with an established electronic refund profile should be available in the designated bank account within three (3) business days of the award’s processing. Students receiving an award without an established electronic refund profile may take up to four (4) business days for a check to be processed, and additional time for printing and mailing beyond that.
- This is intended to be a grant program and any financial assistance received through this program will not impact your current or future financial aid package.
- This new assistance program is not a request for a meal plan exemption or modification. You can find information on the meal plan exemption process, for students with dietary needs relating to medical conditions or religious observances, on the Auxiliary Services website.
- This additional assistance is a temporary program aimed at easing the transition period as we implement the new minimum meal plan requirement.
If you have any questions about this new financial assistance program, please contact mealplans@georgetown.edu.
In closing, we would like to thank the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) for its partnership in developing this new assistance program. We very much value the collaborative planning process with GUSA that has led to this new program and thank them for their advocacy on behalf of the Georgetown student body.
Best regards,
David B. Green
Chief Financial Officer and Interim SVP and Chief Operating Officer
Jeanne Lord
Interim Vice President for Student Affairs