On March 11, 2021 President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), also called HEERF III. Richland Community College received $2,976,864 in ARP funds to disburse to students and $2,901,459 in institutional funds from the Department of Education.
Richland Community College is required to prioritize students with exceptional need. However, students are no longer required to be eligible for Title IV student financial in order to receive HEERF funds. For Fall 2021, all eligible registered students received an ARP disbursement based on the number of credit hours they were enrolled in. Richland disbursed $1,162,521 to 1,702 students in October 2021. For Spring 2022, Richland disbursed $903,950 to 1,338 student in April 2022.