Financial Aid Resources

2023 Fall Training Videos & PowerPoints

Financial Aid 101  

  Watch the full Financial Aid 101 video training and view or download the slideshow presentation. 

Fall Financial Aid Training 

  Fall 2023 recordings coming soon.

• Federal Aid & the FAFSA  coming soon.
• Vermont Grants coming soon. 
• Scholarships coming soon. 
• Education Loans coming soon.
• Information Resources coming soon.
• What's Happening on the Federal & State Level coming soon.

Financial Aid Resources for Families

• vsac.org/events

• VSAC's guide to paying for college 

• vsac.org/resources
• Saving for college
• Check out the resources we're providing for families

FAFSA Resources & Links

FAFSA information for students planning to attend college or training programs in 2023–2024

• 2023–2024 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet (PDF)
• 2023–2024 Paper FAFSA (PDF) 
• 2023–2024 EFC Formula Guide (PDF)  
• 2023–2024 Student Aid Report (SAR) sample (PDF)
• Dependency status determination — Questions to help students determine their dependency status when filling out the FAFSA form
• Who's my parent when I fill out the FAFSA  — Questions to help students figure out which parent’s information to include (depending on the family situation)
• VSAC's FAFSA completion guide for students & families (PDF)

FAFSA links

• Student Aid website
• FAFSA FAQs
• FAFSA demo site (username: eddemo, password: fafsatest) for the 2023–2024 college year 

Vermont Grants

• VSAC residency brochure (PDF)
• Applying for Vermont grants (PDF)
• Vermont grant FAQs 
• vsac.org/grants

Scholarships

• Scholarship FAQs from high school counselors (PDF)
• vsac.org/scholarships

Education Loans

• VSAC loan information
• Direct Loans (federal student loans)
• International schools that accept federal student loans (XLS)
• VSAC’s My Education Loans, a guide to borrowing for college or training   Download the guide (PDF)  

Foster Youth & Homeless Youth

• Education and training vouchers for current and former foster care youth (PDF)   
• Student Aid Tips for Unique Student Populations, including foster youth, refugees & asylee students, undocumented students, and military    
• Higher education resources concerning unaccompanied youth (National Association for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth)
• Vermont scholarships targeted to foster care youth 
• Scholarships for young people experiencing homelessness 
• Kinship Caregivers Guide (PDF) for adults who are caring for children of relatives or family friends

Net Price Calculators

• Things to know about price calculators (resource for families)
• College Scorecard
• College Navigator 
• College Affordability and Transparency Center  

Contact Information

• Vermont colleges and universities
• VSAC contacts

Additional Resources

• Financial Aid Online Toolkit for school counselors and mentors
• Federal Student Aid: Find the information you need 
• Federal Student Aid webinars
• CSS/Financial aid profile
• Password manager (PDF)
• Tax benefits for education
• TEACH grant program information 
• VA educational benefit information
• AmeriCorps (Open to U.S. citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent resident aliens. Age restrictions vary by program.)
• IRS tax transcript information

VSAC is partnering with the U.S. Department of Education on a FAFSA Completion initiative. Once you’ve provided us with a list of your high school seniors, this online tool will provide you with real-time information on the FAFSA and Vermont Grant application status for each student. We encourage you to follow up with those students who plan to pursue higher education after high school, but haven’t yet completed a FAFSA or a Vermont Grant application.

To access this tool: 

Sign in to your school’s MyVSAC account.

1. Go to vsac.org and click on the MyVSAC button in the upper right corner.
2. Enter your myVSAC username and pass- word, and click the Login button.
3. Access the FAFSA/VT Grant Completion Tool
   • Once logged in to MyVSAC, look for the FAFSA/VT Grant Completion button.
   • Click on the “Upload Student Roster” link under the Main Menu to upload your senior class list.

     Note: To ensure that the data you pro- vide is in the correct format, download and use the CSV template provided in the Main Menu.

   • If you need help uploading your roster, click on the “Step by Step Instructions” link or “Help with CSV files” link in the Main Menu.

Student Roster Tips

1. You need to upload (or individually add) your student roster only once. After loading the roster, you’ll receive updated real-time FAFSA and Vermont Grant completion information each time you log in.
2. FAFSA completion is indicated by the population of the “FAFSA Submitted Date” and the “FAFSA Processed Date.” (If these are blank, we haven’t received a FAFSA for the student.) VSAC will begin receiving student FAFSA data for 2024–2025 sometime in December 2023.
3. Grant application completion is indicated by a “yes” or “no” in the column.
4. If there is no FAFSA/VT Grant completion information for a student whom you know to have completed the forms, check the Matching Criteria link. For accurate completion information, the student’s last name, first name, and date of birth on the roster must match what the student provided on the FAFSA/Grant application.
5. The high school on the FAFSA must match VSAC’s records. The best way to ensure this is by having students select their high school from the options presented in the search results on the FAFSA rather than manually typing the name.