Necessity Funding

In addition to a standard financial aid package, which enables students to attend Georgetown, GSP offers additional financial support via microgrants from our Necessity Fund. These microgrants can help cover unexpected and/or emergency costs that arise throughout a student’s time on the Hilltop. Common grant requests include: medical co-pays, Upperclassmen Professional Development (for professional attire, funding for grad school applications, etc), mental health/counseling, DACA fees, and more. You can access our grant form via Hoya360! To submit your grant request visit: hoya360.georgetown.edu (opens in new tab). You can find detailed instructions on how to navigate Hoya360 and submit grant requests at the following link: tinyurl.com/gspgrantguide (guide opens in a new tab)! Please note: it can take up to 3 weeks to process a request, so you may request an emergency short-term loan per the instructions below while you await your necessity funding grant decision.

All grants submitted are reviewed by a Review Committee comprised of GSP staff members and colleagues from across the University. Students should allow 1-3 weeks for the committee to review grant submissions.

Important: Students should go to MyAccess and set up direct deposit (opens in new tab) to your bank account, which will ensure that your funds reach you as quickly as possible. After submitting the grant application, if approved, students should receive a notification email and the funds should deposit into your account within several business days.

If you are uncertain about whether your request is eligible, read our FAQs below!

Necessity Grant FAQs

  1. WHEN ARE APPLICATIONS REVIEWED? WHEN WILL I HEAR BACK?
    • Applications are reviewed once a week. Students can expect to be notified of the committee’s decision approximately one to three weeks after submitting an application.
  2. WHAT AM I ALLOWED TO APPLY FOR?
    • Generally, the committee will review all requests (with no guarantee that a request will be approved). That said, there are several items that the fund cannot cover (see below).
      1. Common Grant Categories
        • Tutoring: GSP maintains a list of free GU tutoring resources (opens in new tab). Please consider using these free resources if applicable to you! You can find details for our new tutoring grant policy below.
        • Emergency Medical/Dental
        • Mental Health
      1. In a typical academic year, the fund CANNOT cover the following items due to University policy restrictions.
        • Textbooks or other course supplies/fees (please be in direct contact with your financial aid counselor, who may be able to adjust your financial aid package depending on the circumstances)
        • Laptops (please be in direct contact with your financial aid counselor, who may be able to help)
        • Flights or other transportation to/from campus at the beginning and end of each semester.
        • Housing costs
        • Meals during the fall or spring semester (in other words, students may apply for grocery grants during school breaks when the cafeteria is closed).
  3. NEW TUTORING GRANT POLICY
    • Starting in the 2023-24 academic year, we updated our policy to comply with GU policies and procedures. Before commencing tutoring, proposed tutoring arrangements must be approved in advance by the GSP grants committee via the regular GSP Grants review process. The GSP tutoring grant is intended to help offset some of the cost of 1-1 tutoring services for GSP students. The GSP tutoring grant is one component of the many academic supports available to students at GU. Tutoring can provide students with personalized attention, which can help them to more specifically focus on challenging material and learn material more effectively and efficiently. Tutoring can also build confidence and motivation, and help students develop stronger study skills. The GSP tutoring grant is not intended to be the primary or sole source of academic support that GSP students utilize. Students are eligible for up to $400 in total tutoring funding per semester. This amount was calculated based on available program funds, and was formulated based on a student receiving tutoring in one course per semester for up to 20 total hours (i.e. 2x/week tutoring for 10 weeks), at the rate of $20/hr. The $20/hr rate was based on a review of published peer tutoring rates from a variety of sources (e.g. GU School of Medicine, American University, and other peer institutions).Full details can be found on the application form in Hoya360.
  4. ARE GRANT APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED YEAR-ROUND (including the summer)?
    • Yes! We review applications year-round, including during the summer.
  5. HOW MANY TIMES CAN I APPLY FOR A GRANT?
    • There is no limit to how many times you may apply for a Necessity Grant. Note that while grants are considered on an independent, case-by-case basis, there may be limits on the amount of funding you may receive in a given year, depending on the category.
  6. WHAT IF I WANT TO SUBMIT MULTIPLE GRANTS?
    • For the purpose of accurate data collection and reporting, if you would like to request a grant for multiple, distinct categories (e.g. dental and tutoring), you must submit an unique grant request for each category. At the end of your first submission, you will be taken back to the home screen where you may submit another request..
  7. WHAT IF I NEED URGENT FUNDING (i.e. same or next day)?
    • Emergency Loans are available to all students from a few weeks before the start of the semester through the middle of the semester, in amounts up to $1,000. For more information, head to the final section below.
  8. IS WISDOM TEETH EXTRACTION COVERED?
  9. DOES THE GRANT COVER THE COST OF PURCHASING GEORGETOWN STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE?
    • No, but you may be eligible for a Health Insurance Scholarship from Financial Aid. Talk to your financial aid counselor : )
  10. QUESTIONS ABOUT THE APPLICATION?

Professional Development Funding

More Information about getting Professional Development Grants can be found below.

WHAT EXPENSES CAN A GSP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANT COVER?
Grants are intended for items related to career preparation and attainment and current and post-graduate academic endeavors. These resources and opportunities may include, for example, attendance at professional and extracurricular conferences, test preparation, professional attire, travel to interviews, and graduate school application fees.

HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I APPLY FOR?
Within an academic school year, the total amount students can receive from the Professional Development is capped and determined by graduating class year. Professional Development Funding does NOT “roll over” or transfer from year to year.

JUNIORS & SENIORS are eligible to receive up to $300 from the Professional Development Fund.

Campus Partner Financial Resources

  • Center for Multicultural Equity & Access
  • Hub For Equity And Innovation In Higher Education
  • SFS Specific Funds
  • MSB Specific Funds
    • McDonough Success Fund: was created to reduce financial barriers for Georgetown McDonough students pursuing academic, career, or professional development opportunities, to cover emergency expenses due to extenuating circumstances, and to allow students to pursue transformative global learning experiences.
  • COL Specific Funds
  • Penner Family Experiences Award
    • The Penner Family Experiences Award: was established by the Penner Family to reduce financial barriers for Georgetown students to allow them to pursue transformative experiences that are extensions of their core university education. Applications for the Penner Family Experiences Awards are open per semester to Georgetown undergraduates who are seeking support for the costs of pursuing opportunities such as unpaid internships, study abroad expenses, travel or equipment for independent research, or service projects. Students can apply to receive an award of up to $1,500.00 to assist with alleviating some of the financial burden of participating in an experiential learning opportunity while enhancing their Georgetown experience. If you are interested in pursuing an unpaid internship, conducting research, or participating in a social action or community-engaged project apply by the deadline for the semester by using the appropriate application link for your desired opportunity.
  • Department Specific Funds
    • Have you checked for funding sources within your major or an academic department? Many times they have smaller funds or awards you can apply for!

Other Funding for College Students

  1. Georgetown Emergency Loans
    • Georgetown Emergency Loans are available to all students from a few weeks before the start of the semester through the middle of the semester, in amounts up to $1,000 – which can be very helpful when time is of the essence (such as an emergency!). You can apply for one from Revenue & Receivables by filling out the Georgetown University Student Emergency Loan Application Form.
  2. SNAP Benefits
    • Contact the SNAP office of the state in which you currently live to request. Students will be required to provide an ID, proof of residency in that state (or in D.C.), and proof of income. We encourage students who are receiving work-study to include a snapshot of their financial aid award because students receiving work-study should be eligible for SNAP, provided they meet their state’s income requirements, regardless of a pandemic. Update: The federal SNAP program has extended their eligibility requirements to students who are either eligible for work study or have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to college costs of $0. To learn more, go to our Social Services webpage.
  3. Social Services
    • Social services are available for many of our students! We recommend perusing the super helpful findhelp.org (formerly auntbertha.com) website to learn about childcare in your area, if you have siblings or children of your own, legal help, food assistance, etc! For more details check out our Social Services webpage.
  4. Financial Aid Appeal
    • While it’s not a fast process (and thus not ideal for a financial emergency), we recommend students whose families have had a change in their financial circumstances to file a Financial Aid Appeal. Students who have an expected family contribution above $0 and whose financial situations have changed since they received their award are eligible (ex: parent lost income). Contact your Financial Aid counselor to learn more.