The College

Emergency Funds, Curricular and Co-curricular Gap Funds (E-Gap Funds)

The Emergency Funds, Curricular and Co-curricular Gap Funds are available to help income-eligible students with navigating unique circumstances related to life, work, academics, curricular and co-curricular opportunities and to cover related financial gaps. The E-Gap funds application can be found on UFunds. These funds are made available through the collaborative effort of multiple campus divisions.

The funding process varies based on the nature of the student’s situation, type of assistance needed, and availability of resources. Some restrictions will apply based on federal and institutional financial aid regulations and guidelines. All students on financial aid are eligible for funding. Priority is given to, but not limited to, students with exceptionally high demonstrated financial need, as determined by the Office of Financial Aid. 

Students can expect to be contacted within 48-72 hours of submitting a request on UFunds for assistance, except on weekends or holidays. Applications are reviewed in the order they were received. If more information is needed from a student, a member of the Financial Advising team will reach out.

E-Gap Funds

The Academic Emergency Fund assists undergraduate students with urgent and unexpected academic needs:

  • Course-related expenses beyond the estimated costs for books outlined in the Cost of Attendance or when no additional resources are available
  • Course related expenses that do not appear on the syllabus of a student's registered courses
  • Personal Items necessary for curricular and co-curricular involvement that may have been damaged or stolen

The Life Emergency Funds are for urgent and non-academic emergency needs or crisis expenses. Requests received have included but are not limited to the following:

  • Unanticipated health and medical care costs and copays (including dental) 
  • Costs for emergent needs related to injuries, dental and eye care 
  • Travel costs related to family and medical emergencies or a death in a student's immediate family
  • Winter clothing as well as other non-academic personal essentials that may have been lost or destroyed due to an emergency or emergency-like event 

The Professional Development Assistance Grant is available for undergraduate, income-eligible students to supplement expenses related to professional development pursuits, not covered by other sources. 

Examples of requests include:

  • Professional clothing for an internship, interview, or networking opportunity
  • Travel for an internship, interview, professional conference, or event
  • Materials and resources related to a job or internship search
  • Academic Conference attendance costs not covered by other sources
  • Graduate and professional school application, prep and tutoring costs
  • Capstone or thesis project related expenses not covered by others sources

The Technology Emergency Fund assists undergraduate students with urgent and unexpected computer (not iPads or tablets) needs. Students who received support from the Gap-Top Pilot or the Campus Bookstore Replacement/Voucher Fund are not eligible to apply for this fund. Examples of requests may include: 

  • Assistance accessing a laptop
  • Laptop accessory replacements such as damaged adaptors and external drives
  • Laptop repair assessment charges from the Brown Bookstore
  • Items or services needed from Student Accessibility Services (SAS) accommodations

Funding is limited. Priority is given to students with high demonstrated financial need, as determined by the Office of Financial Aid. The funding process varies based on the nature of the student’s situation, the type of assistance needed, and the availability of resources. 

The process varies based on the nature of the student’s situation, the type of assistance needed, and the availability of resources. 

Examples of E-Gap Funds Requests

Each student’s request is unique and will be reviewed in the context of the student’s financial, academic and personal circumstances alongside the policies specific to each funding source. Some funding sources have overall limits or restrictions on the number of applications you may submit. Please review the application in UFunds carefully for those details.

  • Unanticipated health and medical care costs and co-pays
  • Travel costs related to medical emergencies or death in the immediate family
  • Winter clothing and other personal expenses
  • Course-related expenses beyond standard book allowance
  • Conference travel and attendance 
  • Capstone or thesis project-related expenses
  • Graduate school application related costs
  • Laptop replacement support

This list is not exhaustive and funding for items on this list is not guaranteed.

E-Gap cannot assist students with funding for:

  • Housing/Rent/Utilities
  • Laundry
  • iPads
  • Travel
  • Groceries/food

For more information about E-Gap Funds, please contact financial_advising@brown.edu.