News & Updates for Education Professionals

Vermont grants

Don't let your Vermont students leave money on the table! Eligible students received from $1,000 to $12,500 in Vermont grants for the 2020–2021 academic year. Encourage your students to:

• apply for the Vermont grant. Those who have applied should check their MyVSAC account to be sure they've completed all steps.
• complete the FAFSA.

For students who filed a FAFSA or grant application for fall 2020: Please encourage students and families heading to college or training in fall 2020 to contact VSAC if their financial circumstances have been affected by COVID-19 through a loss of income, reduced hours, illness, changes in child care, etc. VSAC will take these circumstances into consideration when reviewing grant eligibility. Learn more. 

VSAC-assisted scholarships update

The VSAC scholarships booklet for students planning to attend college in 2021–2022 will be available in print in mid-October. To receive copies for your students, schools must order bulk quantities at https://publications.vsac.org/free-vsac-publications.

VSAC's scholarships booklet is now available online, and the Unified Scholarship Application (USA) will be available on October 1 through MyVSAC. 

How VSAC can help with the FAFSA

Your students and parents can:

• complete the FAFSA during our LIVE “VSAC Shows You How” event, when one of VSAC's FAFSA experts, Carrie Harlow, will walk them through the FAFSA application question by question. Have your families check us out on Facebook Live on October 15th at 6:00 pm. 
• attend a virtual VSAC Financial Aid & Managing College Costs workshop, starting in the fall. 
• schedule a 1:1 meeting with a VSAC Outreach counselor to receive personalized guidance through the FAFSA and/or any additional financial aid forms.
• call our toll-free FAFSA helpline at 833-802-8722 (Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–4:30 pm).

Save the Date: Vermont Applies, the Vermont virtual college fair, is scheduled for December 2, 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Learn more and register.  

High school seniors and families: Need help with the FAFSA & other financial aid? Start with VSAC's FAFSA First. 

VSAC Shows You How to plan and pay for college and training. View the lineup of virtual offerings.

NEACAC College Fairs ONLINE — The National Association of College Admissions Counseling college fairs have gone online.

VSAC's Educational Opportunity Center—easy as a phone call! 

Do you know any adults who would like to take a step toward new career possibilities and aren’t sure where to begin? VSAC’s EOC services can help. Our counselors understand the needs of adult students and are ready to help individuals take steps in a new direction. All services are free.

Encourage your students or clients to make an appointment today >

VSAC’s research continues to shape higher education policy in Vermont

VSAC releases survey results on COVID-19’s impact on VT students' plans to attend college in the fall.

View the latest reports, county fact sheets, and past survey results >

Advance Vermont to Create Hub for Career and Education Resources

Advance Vermont is developing an online "one-stop shop" to bring career and education resources to Vermonters in a user friendly and accessible way. This website will provide Vermonters of all ages and backgrounds with career exploration information and the resources they need to identify and access education and training opportunities across the state that will advance their careers, employable skills, income stability, and job readiness. Visit Advance Vermont to learn more. 

The Advance Vermont team is looking to gain your insights along the way. Please fill out their 3-minute survey to lend your expertise on what content should be included and how it should be presented. It includes a sneak peek at early site design!

Vermont Career Connect

Our new career exploration event is now available online. This event is designed with Vermont's high growth, high wage jobs in mind and is open to middle and high school students across Vermont. Resources include a career interest survey, 40+ video interviews with industry representatives across all 16 career clusters, career training requirements, and activities that can be used for PLPs. 

A live virtual event is planned for October 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and will feature interactive sessions and Q&A breakout rooms with industry representatives. 

View the resources and register today.

This event is produced in collaboration with the J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation, Careers CLiC, Northern Vermont University, Northern Vermont AHEC, and the Rutland Region Workforce Investment Board.

VSAC's 2020 fall training resources 

Did you miss this year's training? Access the resources and watch the videos. 

Financial Aid 101  

  Watch the video and view the slides (PDF)

Fall Financial Aid Training   

  Watch the video and view the slides:

• Federal Aid & the FAFSA (PDF)
• Vermont Grants (PDF)
• Scholarships (PDF)
• Education Loans (PDF)
• Information Resources (PDF)
• What's Happening on the Federal & State Level (PDF)

Zoom Rooms 

Spread the word! Each Tuesday at 10 a.m., VSAC will host a weekly Zoom video conference geared toward adults interested in returning to school or training. New topics are added frequently. Visit the calendar for the latest updates. Upcoming topics include:

• Overcoming Student Loan Default and Back Balances
• Educational Resources for Former Refugees, Immigrants, & Asylees

Here are some links that your families may find helpful:

CCV free class for every 2020 graduating high school senior — The J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation is giving every graduating Vermont high school senior one free CCV class of their choosing this fall. For details, visit ccv.edu/2020gradgift.

NEACAC College Fairs ONLINE — The National Association of College Admissions Counseling college fairs have gone online. Four virtual events are scheduled for the fall:  

• September 13    
• October 12
• October 18
• November 8

Early College extension — CCV has extended their deadline to enroll in Early College this year to September 1. As schools announce plans this week and many students learn they're going to be all or partially remote, encourage them to consider early college. 

NEBHE Admissions & Enrollment Information — Resources for school counselors, students and institutions for Fall 2020 and beyond

Virtual Admissions Events — alphabetical list of American colleges & universities; describes each school's virtual admissions events and provides web registration links

Strive Virtual College Exploration – Hundreds of free virtual workshops for students and parents including individual college info sessions and a wide range of college planning topics

Keys to Your Future Career & College Readiness Program – Free program for educators with virtual lessons for students on identifying life goals, preparing in high school, choosing a path, balancing daily life, starting a career, and success in a career 

College Admission Status Updates — information about changes in college admission events, deposit dates, and more as a result of the coronavirus outbreak

SAT Coronavirus Updates 

ACT testing FAQ  

Khan Academy — SAT practice as well as other online learning  

SAT On Demand—One Month Free from Kaplan —  a free month of SAT On Demand to support all students with their distance learning 

Free AP Programming from Kaplan — free AP prep sessions on YouTube live for AP US History, AP World History, and AP Biology. These sessions will focus on question review and include time to ask a teacher questions.