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 VSAC's FAFSA expert 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).

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

For seniors:

• Has your family's financial situation changed since you filed the FAFSA or VSAC grant? There's money available for individuals whose circumstances have changed!
  • Call or email the financial aid office at each college to update them on your circumstances.
  • Call VSAC at 800-882-4166 or email grants@vsac.org to inform VSAC of your change in circumstances.
• Haven’t filled out your FAFSA or Vermont grant applications? There’s still time! For pointers, watch our Facebook Live events, which provide question-by-question walk-throughs of FAFSA and Grant applications. 
• When considering loans, start with with VSAC. Know More. Borrow Less.

For sophomores & juniors:

• Keep your college/technical training planning going: You should be researching colleges or technical training programs. Many colleges/technical training programs are offering virtual tours right now, and those can be found on each college/technical program website. Watch our online presentation, The College Search: Finding the Right Fit, with VSAC outreach counselor Soren Dews. And check out our complete YouTube playlist for videos on planning and paying for college.
• SAT & ACT updates: Though recent and upcoming test dates have been cancelled, you can make it work to your advantage! The College Board has lots of free SAT prep materials, and ACT has free ACT prep materials. Khan Academy also offers free test prep and online learning opportunities for AP courses and beyond.  
• You may be starting to think about college costs. Our Managing College Costs statewide workshop is now online! Watch the video to help you think through all the ways you can manage college costs. 

For parents:

• Helping your student plan: Check out the resources we've created, including video recordings.
• Maybe you'd like to take an online class? With all this time at home, now's the right time to explore going to college or finishing a degree or a certificate that you've been thinking about! We can help you develop a plan and explain the financial aid that's available to pay for it. Call 877-961-4369 to set up a phone appointment with a VSAC EOC counselor in your community. 

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

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!

VSAC's 2020 fall training for professionals moves online

With the October filing date for the FAFSA, VSAC's annual fall training for high school counselors will be held virtually in late September.

Financial Aid 101: Wednesday, September 16, 9:30–10:30 am

Optional pre-session geared toward professionals who are newer to the field or want a refresher on available programs, timelines, and best ways to advise students and families. Register today >

Financial Aid: Federal State & VSAC Updates: Thursday, September 24, 9:30–11:00 am

Important updates and changes to financial aid resources—including the FAFSA, grants, scholarships, and other resources—and updates on key VSAC initiatives to help students, families, and professionals. Register today >

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:

• What is the Advancement Grant? 
• The impact of COVID-19 on financial aid
• Financial aid options and how to apply
• Where do I begin?

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.