Planning for college or training next year? Apply for the Vermont Grant and explore VSAC’s free scholarship booklet to help you cover costs.
Welcome Vermont Legislators
VSAC helps students of all ages save, plan and pay for college and career training.
The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation is unique in its scope and role. Created by the Vermont Legislature in 1965 as a public nonprofit agency, we advocate for students and their families to ensure that they have the information, the counseling and the financial aid to achieve their education goals. Today that means innovative programs, like 802 Opportunity, that address our state’s workforce challenges and break down barriers to post-secondary education and training.
VSAC Services
VSAC helps families save.
- Vermont’s official 529 college savings plan, VT529, with tax-advantaged accounts that grow over time
VSAC helps families plan.
- Free college & career planning events that cover admissions, ways to pay & more
- 1-on-1 education & career counseling for students in middle schools and high schools, supported by two federal grants, GEAR UP and Talent Search
- Online tools for career exploration & planning
- For adult learners—information on career exploration, education, training & financial aid, supported by a federal grant, the Educational Opportunity Center
- Toll-free numbers so that families can always reach help: 1-800-642-3177
VSAC helps families pay.
- Free financial aid presentations at schools & other locations
- Help with understanding the many financial aid opportunities & completing financial aid forms
- Grants for Vermont residents in full-time, part-time & non-degree programs
- Scholarships for Vermont residents
- Low-cost, fixed-rate Vermont loans for students & parents—available for:
- Vermont residents attending college in Vermont, across the U.S., or internationally
- Out-of-state students attending Vermont colleges and universities
Workforce Development in Vermont
The Vermont Legislature invests millions of dollars of state and federal funding into initiatives designed to address Vermont’s workforce shortage. This funding reduces or eliminates tuition for eligible students pursuing careers in critical fields such as skilled trades, education, nursing, mental health care and more.
VSAC, in partnership with other Vermont agencies, supports students’ changing approaches to education by offering grants and interest-free forgivable loans that will help eligible students afford the degree or training they need to pursue the career they want.
- 802 Opportunity — free tuition at Community College of Vermont (CCV) for families earning less than $75,000 annually.
- Advancement Grant — funding help for short-term training in a non-degree program.
Vermont Trades Forgivable Loan Program — full tuition for qualified students enrolled in industry-recognized training and certification programs that lead to a career in select building, mechanical, industrial, transportation, or medical trades, who commit to work 1 year in Vermont for each year of award.
Teacher Forgivable Loan Program — full tuition for qualified students enrolled in education who commit to work 1 year in Vermont for each year of award.
Vermont Nursing Forgivable Loan Program — full tuition for qualified students enrolled in a practical nursing certificate program (LPN), or pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree, or graduate degree in nursing, who commit to work 1 year in Vermont for each year of award.
Vermont Nurse Faculty - full tuition for qualified students enrolled in a program that leads to a graduate degree in nursing which qualifies them to teach at a nursing school in Vermont, who commit to work full-time as a member of the nurse faculty for 1 year for each year of award.
Vermont Mental Health and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Forgivable Loan Program — full tuition for qualified students enrolled in a program that leads to a master’s degree in a mental health field including social work, mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychology, community mental health counseling, clinical mental health, forensic mental health, or psychiatric mental health who commit to work 1 year in Vermont for each year of award.
- Vermont Dental Hygienist Forgivable Loan Programs — full tuition for qualified students enrolled in a program that leads to a dental hygienist license who commit to work 1 year in Vermont for each year of award.
- Vermont Dentist Forgivable Loan Program — up to $50,000 annually for qualified graduate students who have completed their first year of a dental program, and commit to work 1 year in Vermont for each year of award.
- Vermont National Guard Tuition Benefit Program — up to full tuition at Vermont institutions for undergraduate and graduate programs for guard members who commit to serve in the Vermont National Guard for 2 years for each year of funding.
- Curtis Credential of Value Scholarship — VSAC Outreach counselors nominate students enrolled in short-term certificate programs that lead to jobs/employment.
Reports & County Data Sheets
- County data sheets — financial-based data with a higher education focus for the residents of each county in Vermont.
- Advancement Grant 2022 survey — a biannual impact survey of Advancement Grant recipients.
- 2023 VSAC Annual Report
- VSAC Legislative Guide — Quick facts for you or your constituents on VSAC programs and services.
- 802 Opportunity Report — outcomes and impact of the 802 Opportunity program.
- The Vermont High School Class of 2022 Senior Survey — VSAC has surveyed the graduating senior class for the state of Vermont for over 40 years on a biannual basis creating a wealth of data concerning the aspiration plans and rates of high school students, the continuation rate of college going students, and the 4 and 6 year graduation rate of college students.
Connect with VSAC Leaders
Scott A. Giles
President and CEO
802-654-3740
giles@vsac.org
Thomas A. Little
Vice President, General Counsel
802-654-3747
littlet@vsac.org
Patrick J. Leduc
Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
802-654-3718
leduc@vsac.org
Michael R. Stuart
Vice President, CFO
802-654-3746
stuart@vsac.org