First Look: Use of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) at U.S. Colleges and Universities
November 08, 2021
By Morgan Taylor, Danielle Melidona

Over the past several years, the American Council on Education (ACE) has regularly surveyed college and university presidents to capture their perspectives on key issues facing higher education. Most recently, we fielded a questionnaire to better understand the use of federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) at their institutions.

Overall, 400 presidents (or equivalent) participated in this survey. They reported substantial agreement that HEERF not only helped institutions keep students enrolled, but also provided the support needed to meet the added operational demands resulting from the pandemic. ACE's first-look insight suggests that HEERF played a role in keeping the postsecondary education sector open for business during this challenging time. Key findings include:

  • Keeping students enrolled

Of all presidents who completed the survey, the majority (63 percent) strongly agreed that HEERF enabled their institution to keep students enrolled who were at risk of dropping out due to pandemic-related factors (see Figure 1). The sentiment was particularly pronounced among presidents at public four-year institutions (77 percent strongly agreed) and at public two-year institutions (70 percent strongly agreed).

  • Keeping colleges and universities affordable

More than four out of five presidents (81 percent) expressed some level of agreement (47 percent strongly agreed and 34 percent agreed) that HEERF funds enabled their institution to keep student net prices similar to pre-pandemic levels (see Figure 2). By sector, presidents at public four-year (60 percent) and public two-year institutions (60 percent) were more likely than others to strongly agree that HEERF funds enabled their institution to keep student net prices similar to pre-pandemic levels.

  • Alleviating the digital divide

Overall, 79 percent of presidents indicated some level of agreement that HEERF funds enabled their institution to keep students enrolled by providing them with electronic devices and internet access (see Figure 3). By sector, presidents at public two-year institutions were the most likely to indicate some level of agreement (94 percent), followed by presidents at public four-year institutions (89 percent) and presidents at private four-year institutions (71 percent).

  • COVID-19 tests and other health-care needs

The majority of all presidents (63 percent) reported that HEERF enabled their institution to purchase COVID-19 tests, health screenings, and health care needed to help students and faculty (see Figure 4). Over three-quarters of presidents at public four-year institutions (77 percent) reported that they strongly agreed—the highest percentage of any sector.

  • Keeping one of the largest sectors of employment at work

Overall, 70 percent of presidents reported some level of agreement that HEERF enabled their institution to keep faculty, staff, employees, and contractors at full salary levels who were at risk of unemployment due to pandemic-related factors (see Figure 5). Presidents at public two-year institutions (82 percent) were the most likely to report some level of agreement with this.

Additional Figures

In the survey, we also asked the presidents to indicate their level of agreement with the following statements.


The survey was fielded electronically by ACE between October 23 and November 2, 2021. A total of 3,033 presidents (or equivalent) at Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions were invited via unique links to participate in this study. The survey link was also shared by other higher education associations. Overall, 400 college and university presidents responded to the survey, including 220 at private four-year institutions (55 percent), 86 at public four-year institutions (22 percent), 73 at public two-year institutions (18 percent), and 21 at other types of institutions (5 percent). Other types include public and private graduate-only, private two-year, and for-profit institutions.

The brief was prepared by Morgan Taylor and Danielle Melidona, under the direction of Hironao Okahana. Taylor contributed to data cleaning and analysis, aided in development of the written brief, and prepared the data tables. Melidona contributed to survey construction, data analysis, and development of the written brief.

The authors would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their support in the production and review of this publication: Hollie M. Chessman, for review of the survey instrument and written publication; Liz Howard, Brianna C.J. Clark, Benjamin G. Cecil, Ty C. McNamee, Maria Claudia Soler, and Ashley L. Gray, for review of the survey instrument; and Vanessa Resler, Lindsay Macdonald, and Ally Hammond, for editorial support and making the data come to life through design.

Finally, we would also like to acknowledge the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), Association of American Universities (AAU), Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) for their assistance in disseminating this survey to their members.