Upcoming Events

Apr

Managing Education & Training Costs

6:30pm - 7:30pm Zoom

Attention high school juniors and families: Attend a free Managing Education & Training Costs online presentation. At this presentation, we will provide an overview of how families cover the cost...

May

2026 Transition & Career Planning Conference

8:45am - 3:15pm Lake Morey Resort

Advancing Possibilities: Engage. Adapt. Excel The 21st Annual Transition and Career Planning Conference is hosted by VSAC's Vermont State GEAR UP program in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Education...

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Blog Archive: Applying for Financial Aid

VSAC Scholarships booklet and student in grad cap

17 Oct

VSAC scholarships booklet connects Vermont students to education funding

Written by
VSAC Staff

VSAC's Scholarship Booklet features about 150 VSAC-administered scholarships and more than 40 additional scholarships for students in college or training. If you had a 1 in 100 chance of winning $5,000, you’d probably buy that lottery ticket, right? Many of the college scholarship programs…

11 Oct

6 Essentials for Vermonters with federal student loans

Written by
VSAC Staff

Federal student loan payments have resumed. Don’t panic! VSAC offers tips to help you stay on track. The U.S. Department of Education’s COVID-19 relief program for federal student loans has ended. Student loan interest resumed on September 1, and payments on federal student loans are due starting…

Halley Riley-Elliott: from diesel shop to pageant stage

27 Sep

VSAC celebrates graduation readiness with GEAR UP week

Written by
VSAC Staff

GEAR UP helped Halley Riley-Elliott of Mt. Holly pursue her passions—from diesel shop to pageant stage Every September, VSAC celebrates National GEAR UP Week to make more Vermont families aware of the resources offered through the Vermont GEAR UP program. This federally funded program, which VSAC…

20 Sep

Shaftsbury’s John Dell’Anno heads back to school for a mid-career change

Written by
VSAC Staff

Over the last two decades, John Dell’Anno of Shaftsbury had built a career as a carpenter. Employed by a company out of Manchester, John worked on high-end residential job sites, and found plenty of work in towns like Stratton, Windham, and Dorset. But in 2014, after suffering a few accidents (one…

07 Sep

“I’m here, you can keep me!” Following up with Mimi Duong, one of Vermont’s most enthusiastic new employees

Written by
VSAC Staff

When Mimi Duong was applying to college during her senior year at St. Johnsbury Academy, she found herself at a bit of a disadvantage, since her parents, who had emigrated to Vermont from Vietnam, weren’t totally familiar with the American college admissions system. When we last spoke with her in…

3 grads in the Green Mountain Job & Retention Program

25 Aug

New loan repayment program encourages grads to work in VT

Written by
VSAC Staff

Jessica Neilson of Rutland, Emma Nadeau of Derby, and Ben Hulett of Shaftsbury are benefitting from a $5,000 loan repayment incentive to launch their careers and stay in Vermont. A brand-new student loan repayment program, designed to incentivize recent college graduates to stay in Vermont, is…

23 Aug

Financial hardship? You may be eligible for more aid.

Written by
VSAC Staff

Facing unexpected expenses or a change in family income? Consider appealing for more financial aid. UVM junior David Richardson knows a lot about financial hardship and the unexpected ways it can strike a family. When David was seven, his family’s financial stability literally slipped out from…

04 Aug

David Richardson credits mentors and counselors for his success, and strives to pay it forward

Written by
Emily Stetson

When David Richardson was seven years old, his world turned upside down. His relatively comfortable middle-class household, supported by two parents who both held good jobs – his mom as a substance use counselor, his dad as a corrections officer – changed, literally, with one wrong step. His father…

01 Aug

Cabot student chooses a unique college program that “just sounded really interesting”

Written by
Emily Stetson

When Brody Moran works with kids – either as a substitute teacher at Cabot School in his hometown during his college breaks, or this summer as a counselor at Turtle Island camp – he never asks a child what they want to be when they grow up. “Some people love asking that question, because it provokes…

Alek Wolfe and his “Bants and Bands” podcast co-host, Emily Beckett

05 Jul

Despite challenges, Vermont State University student Alek Wolfe keeps his ears on the prize

Written by
Emily Stetson

In 2018, Bellows Free Academy-St. Albans student Alek Wolfe was sitting next to award-winning sports announcer George Commo in the press box of the Collins-Perley Arena in St. Albans. Alek was there to provide commentary for a women’s high-school hockey game against Rutland. “I was in the middle of…