CARLISLE, Pa. (WHTM) — Cumberland County Commissioners are helping three colleges/universities in the county for their COVID-19 related needs with $2.5 million through the Higher Education American Rescue Plan Recovery Grant Program.

Central Penn College will receive $1.4 million to help with job training improvements. Shippensburg University was allocated $500,000 to cover COVID-19 testing costs. And Messiah University will be given $600,000 for estimated costs of COVID-19 vaccines, testing and other medical equipment.

Penn State Dickinson Law and Dickinson College were sent applications from Cumberland County Commissioners but did not send them back by the deadline, the press release said.

Commissioners used certain criteria to rate how much each institution would receive to best help its student populations, including:

• Underserved student population (25%)
• Workforce development and existence of workforce development programs (35%)
• COVID-19 mitigation efforts (15%)
• Other COVID-19 pandemic funds (25%)

Cumberland County was granted $49,214,152 in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and received $24,214,152 in May of this year. The county will get the rest in 2022.